GIFT  OF 


RECORD 


OF   THE 


FORTY-FOURTH  MASSACHUSETTS 


VOLUNTEER  MILITIA 


IN     NORTH     CAROLINA 


AUGUST  1862  TO  MAY  1863 


BOSTON 
PRIVATELY     PRINTED 

1887 


JOHN  WILSON  AND  SON,  CAMBRIDGE. 


While  fbese  pages  were  passing  through  the  press,  the 
Colonel  of  the  Forty-Fourth  died  at  his  home  in  Westport, 
New  York. 

The  surviving  members  of  the  Historical  Committee  wish 
to  testify  here  to  the  respect  and  affection  felt  for  him  by  the 
Regiment,  and  therefore  dedicate  this  Record 


of 


OUR  COMMANDER,   COMRADE,  AND  FRIEND, 


COLONEL    FRANCIS    L.    LEE. 


PREFACE. 


THE  Forty-fourth  Massachusetts  Regimental  Associa 
tion  has  been  fortunate  in  one  circumstance.  The  regi 
ment  was  so  largely  made  up  of  clerks  and  students  who 
are  now  business  or  professional  men  in  Boston,  with 
common  ties  of  residence  and  occupation  as  well  as  of 
army  service,  that  the  yearly  meetings  of  the  Association 
are  more  largely  attended  and  more  heartily  enjoyed  than 
are  the  reunions  of  regiments  whose  members  have  be 
come  scattered  and  estranged  since  the  war. 

This  cordial  fellowship  led,  many  years  ago,  to  a  wish 
for  some  permanent  record  of  the  service  in  which  it 
had  its  origin.  The  first  reunion  of  the  Forty-fourth  was 
held  March  14,  1876.  As  early  as  the  annual  meeting- 
held  Feb.  5,  1879,  the  project  of  publishing  a  regimental 
history  was  discussed,  and  referred,  with  full  powers, 
to  an  Historical  Committee  consisting  of  Charles  C. 
Soule,  Edward  C.  Johnson,  Col.  Francis  L.  Lee,  Frank 
G.  Webster,  and  James  B.  Gardner. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  Jan.  20,  1886,  William 
Garrison  Reed,  Charles  J.  Me  In  tire,  Paul  S.  Yendell, 
John  J.  Wyeth,  and  Eben  N.  Hewins  were  added  to  this 
Committee. 

The  original  Committee  selected  James  B.  Gardner  to 
collect  material  and  edit  the  history.  Diligent  inquiry 


VI  PREFACE. 

was  made  among  members  of  the  regiment  for  old  letters, 
diaries,  or  sketches.  From  material  of  this  kind,  from 
newspaper  files,  from  the  records  of  the  War  Department, 
from  the  four  monographs  already  published  concerning 
the  regiment,1  and  from  all  other  available  sources,  Cor 
poral  Gardner  had  compiled  the  rough  notes  for  a  regi 
mental  history,  when  he  received  a  railroad  appointment 
in  the  West,  and  removed  from  Boston  to  Dennison, 
Ohio.  His  new  duties  so  thoroughly  absorbed  his  time 
that  he  could  not  find  leisure  for  working  up  his  notes, 
and  he  therefore  sent  them  just  as  they  were  to  the 
Historical  Committee.  The  members  of  this  Committee 
were  all  exceptionally  busy  men,  —  far  too  busy  to  edit 
the  history  themselves.  They  were  compelled  to  seek 
an  editor  outside  of  their  own  number ;  and  much  time 
\vas  lost  in  trying  to  find  among  surviving  members  of 
the  regiment  some  one  with  the  leisure,  zeal,  literary 
ability,  and  patience  needed  for  deciphering  and  putting 
into  proper  shape  Gardner's  rough  notes.  Several  com 
rades  were  almost  persuaded  to  undertake  the  task  ;  but 
laziness,  diffidence,  or  actual  inability  to  spare  the  neces 
sary  time  finally  overcame  all  of  them.  In  despair,  the 
Committee  borrowed  an  idea  from  "  The  Memorial  His 
tory  of  Boston,"  divided  the  regimental  record  into 
chapters,  each  embracing  some  phase  or  event  of  our 
service,  and  endeavored  to  get  different  comrades  to  write 
them.  In  this  attempt  they  were  successful,  although 

1  "  Letters  from  the  Forty-fourth  Regiment  M.  V.  M.,  by  Corporal  "  (Zenas  T. 
Ilaines  of  Company  D) ;  "The  Bay  State  Forty-fourth,"  by  De  Forest  Safford ; 
"  Roll  of  the  Association  of  Company  F,  etc.,"  by  E.  N.  Hewins;  and  "Leaves  from 
a  Diary  written  while  serving  in  Company  E,  etc.,"  by  J.  J.  Wyeth. 


PREFACE.  vii 

progress  \vas  still  slow,  owing  to  the  unconquerable 
dilatoriness  of  some  of  the  contributors. 

Fortunately,  Gardner  returned  to  Boston  at  this  junc 
ture,  and  came  to  the  rescue  with  renewed  zeal  and 
energy.  Indeed,  the  other  members  of  the  Committee 
wish  to  say  that  notwithstanding  the  services  rendered 
by  the  writers  of  chapters  and  by  other  comrades  (among 
whom  they  would  especially  mention  and  thank  Reed, 
He  wins,  and  Wyeth),  Gardner  has  done  by  far  the 
greater  part  of  getting  this  book  together,  and  deserves  a 
proportionate  share  of  the  credit. 

It  was  determined  at  an  early  stage  in  the  enterprise 
that  the  history  should  be  illustrated.  To  this  end  the 
Committee  have  been  fortunate  in  securing  the  services  of 
Paul  S.  Yendell,  of  Company  G,  whose  sketches  have  the 
merit  of  being:  reminiscences  of  incidents  of  actual  service 

O 

with  the  Forty-fourth.  The  maps  and  plans  have  been 
carefully  prepared  and  drawn  (without  compensation)  by 
Comrade  Gardner. 

As  the  result  of  these  prolonged  efforts,  —  somewhat 
disproportionate,  perhaps,  to  the  size  and  importance  of 
the  book,  —  the  Committee  present  to  the  Regimental 
Association  this  Record  of  the  campaign  of  the  Forty- 
fourth,  believing  that  even  the  difficulties  of  preparation, 
and  the  consequent  enlistment  of  so  many  different  con 
tributors,  have  tended  to  vary  the  style  and  increase  the 
interest  of  the  narrative. 

Lest  this  book  should  come  into  the  hands  of  any 
others  than  our  own  comrades,  it  may  be  well  to  say 
here  that  the  members  of  the  Forty-fourth,  as  only  nine 
months'  soldiers,  recognize  that  they  should  speak 


viii  PREFACE. 

modestly  of  their  services.  But  while  yielding  admira 
tion  and  precedence  to  the  veterans  whose  patriotism 
prompted  and  whose  opportunities  allowed  a  longer 
enlistment,  the  short-time  men  may  be  permitted  to  look 
back  with  some  satisfaction  to  the  part,  however  small, 
which  they  played  in  the  great  War  of  the  Rebellion. 
The  service  of  the  Forty-fourth  Massachusetts  included 
a  representative  variety  of  the  experiences  of  the  Ameri 
can  volunteer  during  a  winter  campaign,  —  camp  life, 
provost-duty,  marches,  skirmishes,  a  siege,  battles  serious 
enough  to  test  the  courage  of  the  regiment,  exposure, 
hardship,  and  losses  by  disease  and  in  action.  So  far 
as  it  went,  this  service  was  serious  work,  and  not  a 
mere  holiday  parade.  Older  and  more  seasoned  veter 
ans  will  not  begrudge  us  these  modest  reminiscences. 

January,  1887. 


Plan  of  the 
DEPARTMENT 


J3  Goudntr  CaD, 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    THE  NEW  ENGLAND  GUARDS i 

James  B.  Gardner,  Corporal,  Co.  D. 

II.     ORGANIZATION,  AND  CAMP  AT  READVILLE 21 

James  B.  Gardner,  Corporal,  Co.  D. 

III.  VOYAGE  TO  NEW  BERNE 41 

Everett  C.  Bumpus,  Co.  H. 

IV.  NEW  BERNE  AND  ITS  GARRISON 53 

George  F.  Piper,  Co.  E. 

V.     CAMP  LIFE 69 

James  B.  Gardner,  Corporal,  Co.  D. 

VI.    THE  TARBORO'  MARCH,  AND  THE  AFFAIR  OF  LITTLE  CREEK 

AND  RAWLE'S  MILL 109 

Charles  J.  M chit  ire,  Co.  G. 

VII.    THE  GOLDSBORO'  EXPEDITION 133 

CJiarlcs  Storrow,  Captain,  Co.  F, 

VIII.    THE  PLYMOUTH  EXPEDITION 147 

Henry  W.  Harttvell,  Co.  A. 

IX.    WASHINGTON 159 

Paul  S.  Yendell,  Co.  G. 

X.       PICKET-DUTY    OF   B   AND    F 197 

Charles  C,  Soule,  Second  Lieutenant,  Co.  B. 

XL     PROVOST  DUTY,  VOYAGE  HOME,  AND  MUSTER  our     .     .     .     205 
James  B.  Gardner,  Corporal,  Co.  D. 


X  TABLE   OF   CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XII.     NORTH  CAROLINA  REVISITED 223 

William  Garrison  Reed,  Co.  D. 

XIII.  MEDICAL 233 

Dr.  Theodore  W.  Fisher,  Surgeon. 

XIV.  PERSONNEL 255 

Rev.  Edward  H.  Hall,  Chaplain. 

XV.    SUBSEQUENT  SERVICE 269 

Eben  N.  Hewitts,  Co.  F. 


APPENDIX 293 

James  B.  Gardner,  Corporal,  Co.  D. 

RIOT 293 

ASSOCIATION 295 

ROSTER 301 

RECAPITULATION  :  AGES 336 

RECAPITULATION  :  PLACES  OF  ENLISTMENT 337 

GENERAL  SUMMARY 338 

PRESENT  RESIDENCE 339 

PRESENT  OCCUPATION 340 

FAC-SIMILE  SIGNATURES 341 

INDEX 357 


LIST   OF   PORTRAITS. 


GROUP  OF  OFFICERS,  READVILLE To  face  page     21 

GENERALS  FOSTER,  WESSELLS,  AND  STEVENSON      .     .  61 

FIELD  AND  STAFF  OF  THE  FORTY- FOURTH    ....  255 


LIST   OF   MAPS   AND    PLANS. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA     .                        .    Following  Preface. 
NEW  BERNE.     , To  face  page     53 

BARRACKS  AT  NEW  BERNE 

"  "ii~ 

RAWLE'S  MILLS ' 


KlNSTON 


133 


"  "       I4.O 

WHITEHALL 

"  "        I^Q 

WASHINGTON 

VICINITY  OF  NEW  BERNE X97 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

BY  P.  S.  YENDELL. 


CHAPTER  I. 

NEW   ENGLAND   GUARDS. 

PAGE 

INITIAL — FOURTH  BATTALION  CREST i 

SEAL  —  FOURTH  BATTALION  COAT  OF  ARMS 4 

CANNON     5 

TAIL-PIECE  —  FORT  INDEPENDENCE .20 

CHAPTER   II. 
CAMP   AT   READVILLE,    ETC. 

INITIAL — COLOR-GUARD .21 

GOING  TO  WASH 26 

INTERIOR  OF  BARRACK  AFTER  DRESS  PARADE 32 

TAIL-PIECE  —  BLUE  HILL  FROM  CAMP-GROUND 39 

CHAPTER   III. 
VOYAGE  TO   NEW   BERNE. 

INITIAL  —  WHARF  —  WAITING  TO  GO  ON  BOARD     ...  .40 

DECK  OF  "  MERRIMAC  " ...     46 

RIDE  TO  NEW  BERNE .48 

CHAPTER    IV. 
NEW   BERNE,   ETC. 

INITIAL  —  COAT  OF  ARMS  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA     . 

TAIL-PIECE  —  ATTACK  ON  FORT  ANDERSON 68 


xiv  LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 

CHAPTER  V. 

CAMP   LIFE. 

PAGE 

INITIAL  —  ON  GUARD 69 

RIGHT  WING  OF  BARRACKS 71 

DRAWING  RATIONS 74 

HUCKSTERS  AT  GUARD  LINE 75 

POLICE  SQUAD 78 

CLEANING  UP  FOR  INSPECTION .  80 

DISTRIBUTING  LETTERS 90 

MENDING  CLOTHES 91 

OPENING  BOXES 95 

TAIL-PIECE  —  INDISPENSABLES 108 

CHAPTER  VI. 

TARBORO'. 

REGIMENT  ON  THE  MARCH  {from  a  sketch  by  Licut.-Col.  Cabof)     .  109 

INITIAL  —  REVEILLE 109 

COTTON-PRESS ....112 

GATHERING  RAILS 120 

FORAGING 123 

MAKING  COFFEE  AND  DRYING  BLANKETS 130 

TAIL-PIECE — DESPATCH  BOAT 131 

CHAPTER  VII. 
GOLDSBORO'. 

INITIAL  —  FIELD  AND  STAFF  BIVOUAC 133 

CAMP  COOKING 136 

MIDNIGHT  IN  BIVOUAC 141 

"CLEAR  GRIT" 144 

TAIL-PIECE — LUGGAGE  AND  CONVEYANCE 146 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
PLYMOUTH. 

INITIAL  —  "NORTHERNER"  AT  WHARF ...147 

OLD  MILL 150 

HAM-FAT  MARCH 153 


LIST   OF  ILLUSTRATIONS.  XV 

CHAPTER   IX. 

WASHINGTON. 

PAGE 

INITIAL  —  BIRD'S-EYE  VIEW  OF  LEFT  CENTRE 159 

COOK-HOUSE,  COMPANY  G 161 

BLOCKHOUSE  No.  2 163 

TRAVERSE  AND  SPLINTER-PROOF  —  LEFT  OF  COMPANY  G    .     ...  177 

DRAWING  RATIONS  UNDER  FIRE 183 

TAIL-PIECE •  .     .     .  196 

CHAPTER  X. 
PICKET   DUTY. 

INITIAL  —  "HALT!   WHO  GOES  THERE!" 197 

SCOUTING  IN  FLAT-BOAT 199 

BATCHELDER'S  CREEK  PICKET  POST    .         201 

CHAPTER  XI. 

PROVOST   DUTY. 

INITIAL  —  SENTRY  AT  HEADQUARTERS 205 

EXAMINING  PASSES 208 

SENTRY  FISHING 209 

TAIL-PIECE  —  COLORED  WASHERWOMAN 222 

CHAPTER   XII. 

NORTH   CAROLINA   REVISITED. 

INITIAL  —  How  WE  TRAVEL  Now 223 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

MEDICAL. 
INITIAL — DISPENSARY  DOOR  AT  SURGEON'S  CALL 233 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

PERSONNEL. 
INITIAL  255 


XVI  LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 

CHAPTER   XV. 

SUBSEQUENT  SERVICE. 

PAGE 

INITIAL 291 

TAIL-PIECE 299 

APPENDIX. 

ASSOCIATION. 
INITIAL  —  ASSOCIATION  BADGE 295 


CHAPTER   I. 


NEW   ENGLAND   GUARDS. 

N  writing  the  biography  of  an  individ 
ual  it  is  customary  to  refer  to  his  an 
cestry  ;  and  in  writing  what  might  be 
called  an  autobiography  of  the  Forty- 
fourth  Regiment  it  therefore  seems 
appropriate  to  give  a  short  account  of 
the  New  England  Guards,  a  military 
organization  founded  during  the  War 
of  1812-1815,  and  from  which  that 
regiment  was  lineally  descended.  The 
New  England  Guards  were  regularly 
organized  at  a  meeting  held  at  Con 
cert  Hall,  Boston,  Sept.  19,  1812,  un 
der  authority  of  an  order  issued  by 
the  Brigadier-General  commanding 
the  -Third  Brigade,  First  Division, 
M.  V.  M.  Forty  votes  were  cast,  and  Samuel  Swett  was  elected 
captain;  George  Sullivan,  lieutenant;  and  Lemuel  Blake,  ensign. 
The  meeting  then  adjourned  to  the  24th,  when  James  Dalton  was 
chosen  first  sergeant ;  Stephen  G.  Brown,  second ;  William  \Vard, 
third ;  and  Isaac  Mansfield,  fourth.  The  corporals  were  chosen 
five  days  later.  At  this  meeting  the  draft  of  the  constitution 
was  read  and  discussed,  and  on  the  following  evening,  Septem 
ber  25,  at  a  meeting  held  at  Faneuil  Hall,  it  was  adopted. 
The  preamble  read  as  follows :  — 

"  To  facilitate  the  performance  of  the  duty  which  we  owe  to  our  country 
of  adding  to  our  character  as  citizens  some  portion  of  the  skill  of  the  sol 
dier  ;  to  increase  our  usefulness  as  militiamen  by  adding  to  the  zeal  which 

1 


2  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

is  excited  by  patriotism,  the  ardor  which  is  inspired  by  emulation ;  and  to 
give  to  each  one  of  us,  while  exerting  himself  for  his  own  and  the  State's 
defence,  that  confidence  in  each  other's  zealous  and  skilful  co-operation 
which  can  result  only  from  military  discipline,  we  have  voluntarily  asso 
ciated  ourselves  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  company  of  light  infantry ; 
and  to  govern  us  in  the  pursuit  of  these  objects  we  have  adopted  the  fol 
lowing  articles  for  our  constitution." 

This  was  quite  lengthy,  and  contained  the  provisions  usually 
found  in  documents  of  that  description.  The  uniform  as  origi 
nally  ordered  would  look  strange  in  these  days:  — 

"  A  plain,  dark  blue  coat,  double-breasted,  with  gilt  buttons  ;  white  waist 
coat  ;  white  pantaloons  ;  blue  cloth  pantaloons  ;  half-boots  with  black  tas 
sels  ;  round  hat  with  a  black  leather  cockade,  yellow  eagle  in  the  centre, 
and  a  gold  loop  extending  down  to  the  band ;  a  black  silk  stock.  ..." 

The  duties  of  the  officers  are  described  with  exceeding  minute 
ness.  A  clause  in  the  article  specifying  those  of  the  orderly 
sergeant  reminds  us  how  inadequate  were  the  postal  facilities  in 
those  days : — 

"  He  shall  notify  all  the  members  of  every  meeting  by  signing  a  written 
or  printed  notification,  which  he  shall  seasonably  deliver  to  the  other  ser 
geants  and  corporals  in  equal  parts  ;  and  it  is  hereby  declared  to  be  their 
duty  to  deliver  said  notifications  without  delay  to  the  members  to  whom 
they  are  addressed." 

Previous  to  the  declaration  of  peace  in  1815,  one  hundred  and 
twenty-six  members  had  joined  the  Guards.  Among  them  were 
many  who  in  after  years  were  enrolled  among  the  "  solid  men  of 
Boston ;  "  and  their  children  and  grandchildren  were  found  in 
most  of  the  regiments  sent  to  the  front  from  Massachusetts,  and 
in  a  few  which  went  from  other  States.  Abbott  Lawrence  be 
came  Minister  to  England ;  Joseph  B.  Henshaw  was  for  some 
time  Collector  of  the  Port  of  Boston;  William  Greenough,  Jr., 
was  a  well-known  hardware  merchant,  and  his  son  is  now  Presi 
dent  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Public  Library;  Nathan  Hale  was 
editor  of  one  of  the  most  influential  newspapers  in  New  England 
and  father  of  Rev.  Edward  Everett  Hale ;  and  the  names  of 
Samuel  Swett,  George  Sullivan,  Lemuel  Blake,  Stephen  G. 
Brown,  George  Dana,  Massa  Willis,  Robert  P.  Williams,  Reuben 
Richards,  Jr.,  Charles  Tidd,  Moses  Grant,  Jr.,  Richard  Ward, 


NEW   ENGLAND    GUARDS.  3 

Watson  Gore,  Deming  Jarves,  Lorenzo  Draper,  Jonathan  G.  Bar 
nard,  Thomas  Dennie,  Jr.,  Joseph  Callendar,  Jr.,  Cheever  New- 
hall,  Joseph  West,  Jr.,  Benjamin  F.  White,  Thomas  R.  Sewall, 
Joseph  Ballister,  Jeffrey  Richardson,  Barney  Tisdale,  Samuel 
Hunt,1  Isaac  Child,  Joseph  Hay,  and  others  will  be  readily  re 
called  by  all  the  older  generation  of  Bostonians.  Mr.  Hay  is 
still  living.2  Dan  Simpson  and  Si  Smith  were  the  drummer  and 
fifer.  Simpson  attended  the  annual  reunion  of  our  regiment  in 
i884.3 

The  company  drilled  regularly  on  Tuesdays,  Thursdays,  Fri 
days,  and  Saturdays,  from  September  23  to  November  19,  when 
it  made  its  first  public  parade  under  command  of  Captain  Swett, 
and  was  presented  with  "  an  elegant  standard "  by  General 
Welles.  If  those  to  whom  his  speech  was  addressed  did  not 
have  the  opportunity  to  practise  its  precepts,  its  spirit  animated 
the  members  of  the  Guards,  as  their  record  from  1861  to  1865 
conclusively  proved.  A  few  extracts  may  well  be  given :  — 

"In  a  free  republic  a  permanent  and  standing  military  force  has  ever 
been  considered  dangerous  if  not  hostile  to  the  liberties  of  the  people. 
The  framers  of  our  happy  constitution  of  government  have  preferred  an 
appeal  to  the  patriotism  of  the  citizens  ;  on  the  discipline,  therefore,  of  its 
citizen  soldiers  the  prosperity  of  the  State  essentially  depends. 

"  We  witness  with  pleasure  this  day  your  enlistment  among  the  de 
fenders  of  their  country  ;  the  trust  is  sacred ;  the  duties  imposing.  On 
your  patriotism  we  may  confidently  rely.  Valor  and  discipline  will 
point  to  you  the  path  to  glory.  Remember  that  the  independence  of 
your  country  was  purchased  with  the  toils  and  blood  of  your  fathers,  and 
in  your  hands  the  sacred  deposit  is  placed  for  posterity.  ...  As  honor 
able  citizens  and  undaunted  soldiers  cultivate  harmony  with  each  other, 
preserve  subordination,  perfect  yourselves  in  discipline,  and  the  reward 
you  will  receive  for  this  valuable  service  will  be  the  sublime  satisfaction 
which  results  from  the  discharge  of  duty  with  fidelity  and  the  grateful 
acknowledgments  of  your  fellow-citizens." 

The  standard  was  accepted  on  behalf  of  the  Guards  by  Ensign 
Blake.  In  his  response  occurred  the  sentence  which  the  Guards 
afterwards  adopted  as  their  motto  :  — 

1  Father  of  Captain  Charles  Hunt,  of  Company  G. 

2  Mr.  Hay  celebrated  his  ninety  sixth  birthday  anniversary,  Jan.  15,  1886. 

3  Dan  Simpson  died,  after  this  chapter  was  written,  at  a  good  old  age. 


FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 


"...  Although  our  country  is  engaged  in  a  war  contrary  to  the  views 
of  the  people  of  New  England,  yet,  if  in  the  course  of  its  events  we 
should  be  called  to  the  tented  field  by  our  venerable  commander-in-chief 
'to  repel  invasion,'  'to  suppress  insubordination/  or  'to  execute  the  laws 
of  the  Union,'  we  pledge  our  life's  blood  to  preserve  this  standard  from 
dishonor.  'OuR  NATION'S  HONOR  is  THE  BOND  OF  UNION.'" 

On  this  occasion  it  is  noted 
as  a  fact  worth  remembering 
that  the  Guards  "partook  of 
cake  and  wine  with  General 
Welles/'  and  that  they  went 
"  from  the  Common  to  the 
home  of  Captain  Swett,  where 
a  superb  collation  was  pro 
vided  by  his  liberality."  All 
through  the  orderly  book  such 
notations  as  these  are  contin 
ually  found,  showing  that  the 
Guards  had  a  keen  apprecia 
tion  for  the  pleasures  of  the 

table ;  and  on  the  principle  of  transmitted  traits  we  may  account 
ior  the  distaste  with  which  many  of  its  later  members  received 
the  hard-tack  and  salt  horse  furnished  them  half  a  century 
afterwards. 

At  a  meeting  held  at  Concert  Hall  the  following  evening,  the 
company  voted  to  present  a  piece  of  plate  to  General  Welles 
"  expressive  of  their  respect  and  gratitude  for  his  honorable 
patronage."  They  also  voted  the  thanks  of  the  New  England 
Guards  to  "  the  young  lady  who  honored  them  with  the  elegant 
draft  of  the  Roll  of  Members."  1 

At  the  suggestion  of  General  Welles,  the  officers  of  the  Guards, 
with  the  approval  of  the  majority  of  the  members,  applied  to  the 

1  On  the  margin  of  the  orderly  book  is  a  memorandum  dated  October,  1842,  to  the 
effect  that  the  young  lady  was  Miss  Walter,  afterwards  wife  of  Mr.  S.  F.  McCleary, 
the  first  City  Clerk  of  Boston.  Many  of  our  comrades  knew  her  personally,  and  the 
writer  has  heard  her  express  the  gratification  she  felt  on  this  occasion.  Miss  Walter 
was  an  accomplished  penwoman,  and  the  original  design  which  she  made  for  the 
inscription  on  the  plate  presented  to  General  Welles,  as  well  as  several  other  designs 
which  she  furnished,  are  preserved  in  one  of  the  orderly  books. 


NEW   ENGLAND   GUARDS.  5 

Governor  and  Council  for  a  couple  of  cannon  for  the  use  of 
the  corps.  The  matter  was  considered  at  the  council  meeting 
in  January,  1813,  but  the  officers  having  learned  unofficially 
that  the  Governor  did  not  feel  authorized  to  act  in  the  matter, 
the  petition  was,  by  consent  of  all  parties  interested,  withdrawn, 
and  General  Boyd  of  the  United  States  Army,  commandant  of 
the  station,  requested  to  loan  the  Guards  the  desired  cannon. 
This  request  he  kindly  granted.  On  Jan.  19,  1813,  "  the  weather 
was  rainy  and  the  roads  wet  with  melting  snow;  but  the  Guards 
resolving  unanimously  to  march,  they  proceeded  to  the  Navy 
Yard  at  Charlestown,  whence  they  brought  the  cannon  into 
Boston  and  lodged  them  at  the  artillery  gun-house  at  four  o'clock 
P.M."  These  were  returned  to  the  Navy  Yard  Feb.  9,  I8I4,1  at 
the  request  of  General  Gushing.  On  the  same  day  it  was  voted 
that  "  the  commissioned 
officers  be  appointed  a 
committee  to  apply  to  the 
Legislature  of  the  State 
for  a  pair  of  brass  cannon 
for  the  use  of  the  com 
pany."  There  is  no  rec 
ord  of  the  time  when 
these  were  received ;  but 

on  June  13,  1814,  the  "Guards  started  for  Charlestown  with  the 
six-pounders."  These  cannon  were  in  possession  of  the  corps 
for  several  years.  By  some  means  they  were  lost,  but  were 
found  a  few  years  since,  and  for  a  while  formed  "  the  battery  " 
at  the  residence  of  Colonel  W.  V.  Hutchings,  Roxbury.  Re 
cently  they  have  been  placed  in  the  rooms  of  the  Bostonian 
Society,  in  the  Old  State  House.  Each  piece  bears  the  inscrip 
tion,  "  Cast  &  Mounted  by  Order  of  the  Board  of  War  for  the 
N.  E.  G.,  1814." 2 

February  18,  1813,  the  Guards  volunteered  escort  duty  to 
the  committee  on  the  reception  of  Commodore  Bainbridge  of 
the  "  Constitution,"  who  had  just  won  the  victory  over  the 

1  There  is  doubt  if  this  date  is  correct. 

2  The  orderly  books  and  all  the  records  of  the  Guards  which  can  be  found  have 
been  placed  with  the  Bostonian  Society  in  trust. 


6  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

"  Guerriere."      Commander    Rogers,    Captain    Hull,   and   others 
participated. 

On  Thursday  morning,  Sept.  2,  1813,  the  company  paraded. 
The  day  was  intensely  hot.  The  orderly  notes,  "  Number  of 
members  small,  but  these  were  resolute."  After  taking  their 
guns  and  baggage-wagons  from  the  gun-house  on  Beacon  Street, 
they  proceeded  by  West  Boston  Bridge,  West  Cambridge,  and 
the  west  side  of  Medford  Pond  to  Gardner's  Locks.  On  the  way 
"  we  made  the  hills  and  vales  resound  with  our  animated  songs." 
Most  of  us  undoubtedly  recall  many  instances  when,  if  our 
orderly  sergeants  had  not  been  completely  worn  out  with  fatigue, 
they,  too,  might  have  made  similar  entries.  Few  of  us  will  ever 
forget  the  inspiration  we  felt  as  we  joined  in  the  chorus  of  "  John 
Brown  "  or  "  Kingdom  Coining,"  or  listened  to  the  Howard  boys, 
or  Ewer,  or  Powers,  or  Perkins,  in  one  of  their  special  songs. 

When  the  Guards  reached  their  destination,  "  the  Lake  of  the 
Woods,"  they  pitched  their  tents;  the  encampment  "was  on 
streets  running  from  front  to  rear,  as  practised  in  Europe."  On 
Friday  they  marched  to  Medford,  and  after  partaking  of  the 
hospitality  of  the  adjutant-general,  Peter  C.  Brooks,  established 
their  camp  on  the  hill  in  rear  of  Mr.  Tidd's  house.  On  Saturday 
they  returned  to  Boston.  The  time  had  been  well  occupied  in 
drill,  target  practice,  and  similar  duties,  not  forgetting  the  social, 
which  the  Guards  never  neglected.  The  record  in  the  orderly 
book  is  quite  long,  and  concludes  as  follows :  "  Thus  having 
the  honor  to  be  the  first  military  corps  that  has  marched  out  of 
town  with  complete  camp  equipage,  made  a  regular  encampment, 
and  performed  regular  camp  duty  for  three  successive  days  since 
the  establishment  of  our  Commonwealth." 

Captain  Swett  having  resigned  (October,  1813),  to  accept  posi 
tion  as  Topographical  Engineer  of  the  Northern  Army,  on  April  2, 
1814,  George  Sullivan  was  elected  captain  and  Lemuel  Blake 
lieutenant. 

Sunday,  April  3,  1814,  the  commanding  officer  learned  from 
Commodore  Bainbridge  that  the  frigate  "  Constitution  "  had  been 
chased  into  Marblehead  harbor  by  a  seventy-four  and  two  frig 
ates  of  the  enemy.  The  news  was  received  at  5.30  A.M.  The 
Guards  assembled,  formed,  and  started  at  7  A.  M.  On  the  way  to 


NEW   ENGLAND   GUARDS.  7 

Marblehead  they  made  a  short  halt  at  the  residence  of  Commo 
dore  Bainbridge  in  Charlestown.  Soon  after  resuming  their 
march  they  were  recalled  by  orders  from  the  Commodore  direct 
ing  them  to  return  to  Boston  to  take  charge  of  some  heavy 
ordnance  which  he  intended  to  send  to  Marblehead.  As  the 
horses  \vere  not  ready,  the  corps  was  dismissed  till  1 1  P.  M.,  when 
every  member  who  had  turned  out  in  the  morning  reported  for 
duty.  Several  others,  whose  notifications  had  not  reached  them 
early  enough  to  enable  them  to  join  in  the  first  march  to 
Charlestown,  were  also  present.  News  reached  the  armory  about 
midnight  that  the  enemy  had  retreated,  and  the  Guards  were 
dismissed.  One  of  the  older  members,1  whose  recollection  of 
this  parade  was  very  distinct,  said  that  Abbott  Lawrence,  who 
always  manifested  a  very  strong  interest  in  the  Guards,  started  in 
the  morning  shod  in  light  dancing-pumps;  that  before  reaching 
Charlestown  he  was  practically  barefooted ;  but,  far  from  being 
discouraged,  he  hired  a  boy  to  go  home  for  his  boots,  and  met 
him  carrying  them  towards  Marblehead  as  the  column  was 
returning. 

June  13,  1814,  the  Guards  went  into  camp  at  Charlestown  to 
guard  the  Chelsea  bridge,  which  Commodore  Bainbridge  feared 
might  be  attacked.  They  remained  there  from  Monday  till 
Thursday,  and  in  consideration  of  their  services  were  invited  to 
the  launch  of  the  seventy-four  gun-ship,  then  almost  completed, 
and  to  a  collation  at  the  residence  of  the  Commodore  after  the 
launch. 

During  the  week  beginning  Oct.  26,  1814,  a  detachment  of 
the  Guards  under  command  of  Ensign  Pickman  did  garrison  duty 
at  Fort  Strong.  Charles  Tidd  and  J.  Howe,  Jr.,  were  the  ser 
geants,  and  Abbott  Lawrence  and  Richard  Ward  the  corporals. 
In  the  regulations  issued  for  the  government  of  the  detachment 
it  is  provided  that  the  "  commissary  will  furnish  whatever  spirit 
may  be  needed  for  the  use  of  the  mess."  It  may  be  that  from 
this  incident  the  word  "  commissary  "  came  to  be  synonymous 
with  a  rather  well-known  article  which  was  sometimes  confiscated 
by  our  boys,  but  to  which  the  colonel  decidedly  objected  unless 
liberally  diluted  with  quinine  or  supplied  under  the  guise  of 
1  Mr.  Joseph  West,  who  died  Oct.  16,  1884,  aged  ninety-two  years. 


8  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

"  orange  pickle."  It  also  indicates  that  social  matters  received 
some  attention,  to  find  a  note  saying,  "  It  is  expected  that  gentle 
men  will  entertain  their  guests  at  their  individual  expense." 

Feb.  13,  1815,  the  morning  on  which  was  received  the  welcome 
news  of  the  declaration  of  peace,  the  Guards  fired  salutes  from 
the  Common  at  noon  and  at  sunset. 

The  Guards  seem  to  have  continued  the  custom  of  going  into 
yearly  camp  (the  "  summer  campaign,"  as  they  called  it)  ;  and 
although  no  direct  statement  to  that  effect  appears  in  the  orderly 
book,  there  are  many  entries  which  lead  the  reader  to  infer  that 
this  practice  was  not  common  to  the  other  military  organizations 
of  the  State.  During  the  campaign  of  1822  the  orderly,  in  de 
tailing  the  preparations  made  to  receive  guests,  deems  this  fact 
worthy  of  record :  "  After  dinner  the  tents  were  cleared  of  all 
rubbish.  The  members  put  on  clean  trousers." 

The  encampment  of  1823  was  honored  by  the  presence  of 
John  Ouincy  Adams,  who  reviewed  the  corps  and  highly  com 
plimented  it. 

June  14,  1824,  appears  this  extraordinary  resolution,  especially 
surprising  considering  the  reluctance  with  which  their  successors 
quitted  the  "soft  side  of  a  downy  plank"  when  reveille  sounded 
on  a  cold  and  disagreeable  morning:  "  Voted,  unanimously,  that 
the  company  shall  have  a  drill  on  Monday  of  each  week  at  five 
o'clock  in  the  morning  untill  the  campaign."  The  experiment 
was  evidently  a  failure,  as  the  vote  was  rescinded  on  June  24. 

July  7,  a  destructive  fire  occurred  on  Beacon  and  Charles 
Streets.  The  Guards  volunteered  to  protect  the  property,  and 
forty  minutes  after  the  order  had  been  issued  by  Captain  Lyman 
two  officers  and  forty  members  had  reported  at  the  armory  for 
duty. 

August  24,  the  company  formed  part  of  the  escort  on  the  occa 
sion  of  Lafayette's  visit  to  Boston,  and  were  given  the  right  of  the 
line.  The  following  day  they  went  into  annual  encampment, 
where  they  were  visited  by  General  Lafayette,  Governor  Eustis, 
and  a  colonel  of  the  British  army  who  had  "  lost  a  limb  at  Water 
loo."  The  latter  paid  the  Guards  a  very  ambiguous  compliment 
when  he  remarked  that  he  "  never  saw  such  discipline  in  any 
camp  as  ours." 


NEW   ENGLAND   GUARDS.  9 

Feb.  II,  1825,  they  attended  the  funeral  of  Governor  Eustis, 
and  on  April  8  guarded  the  property  saved  from  the  Doane 
Street  fire,  "a  destructive  conflagration  which  burned  upwards  of 
fifty  stores  and  houses,  and  in  consequence  of  which  upwards  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  people  were  thrown  out  of  employment." 

June  17,  they  participated  in  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of 
Bunker  Hill  Monument,  and  ten  days  later  were  called  upon  by 
the  Governor  to  be  ready  to  aid  in  suppressing  a  riot  at  the 
North  End;  but  fortunately  their  services  were  not  required. 

Dec.  5,  1829,  the  buttons  were  ordered  to  be  stamped  "  N.  E.  G." 
The  non-commissioned  officers  had  evidently  tired  of  acting  as 
postmen,  as  at  this  meeting  a  vote  was  passed  authorizing  the  em 
ployment  of  a  suitable  person  to  deliver  notices. 

Aug.  11,  1834,  the  convent  at  Charlestown  was  burned,  and  the 
Guards  were  on  duty  more  or  less  from  the  I2th  to  the  i6th. 
June  29,  1835,  the  orderly  notes  a  vote  that  we  "  go  on  the  Com 
mon  to  drill  by  the  light  of  the  pale  moon  ;  "  whether  a  variety  of 
artificial  light  or  a  new  kind  of  tactics  he  does  not  condescend  to 
explain. 

On  Sunday,  July  11,  1837,  they  were  ordered  out,  and  under 
command  of  Ensign  Bigelow  (afterwards  Chief  Justice  of  the 
Commonwealth)  performed  valiant  service  during  the  Broad 
Street  riot.  They  were  the  first  infantry  company  that  reported 
for  duty. 

The  annual  encampment  of  1838  was  held  at  Woburn  in  June. 
On  one  day  it  is  estimated  that  they  entertained  over  three 
thousand  visitors;  at  one  hotel  more  than  seven  hundred  chaises 
and  carriages  were  taken  care  of.  The  Guards  were  always  social 
favorites,  and  that  their  successors  were  so  regarded  is  proved  by 
the  throngs  of  visitors  which  crowded  the  camps  of  the  Second, 
Twentieth,  Twenty-fourth,  and  Forty-fourth,  which  were  essen 
tially  N.  E.  G.  regiments. 

Aug.  31,  1839,  they  went  to  Barnstable  and  spent  five  days 
there  during  the  centennial  celebration  of  that  town.  Being  dis 
appointed  in  the  arrival  of  the  steamer  they  had  engaged  (it 
was  detained  by  a  heavy  storm),  they  chartered  a  schooner,  and 
with  nearly  two  hundred  members  reached  Barnstable  before 
the  hour  appointed  for  the  beginning  of  the  exercises.  It  was 


10  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

the  first  uniformed  military  company  that  had  ever  been  seen 
there. 

April  21,  1841,  they  performed  escort  duty  at  the  funeral  of 
President  Harrison,  and  on  June  17,  1843,  joined  in  the  proces 
sion  incident  to  the  ceremonies  at  the  dedication  of  Bunker  Hill 
Monument,  the  corner-stone  of  which  they  had  assisted  in  laying 
eighteen  years  before. 

The  records  of  the  Guards  up  to  1845  have  been  preserved, 
and  from  them  most  of  the  facts  in  the  account  thus  far  given 
have  been  gathered.  Subsequent  to  that  year  it  is  difficult  to 
obtain  full  particulars,  as  all  official  papers  and  documents  were 
burned  in  the  great  fire  of  November,  1872.  In  consequence  of 
this  loss  the  most  interesting  portion  of  its  history,  from  a  few 
years  previous  to  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  until  the  departure 
of  the  Forty-fourth,  is  largely  a  matter  of  tradition. 

The  interest  of  the  members  in  the  success  of  the  Guards  grew 
rapidly  during  the  year  or  two  previous  to  the  outbreak  of  the 
Rebellion.  The  visit  of  the  Ellsworth  Zouaves  of  Chicago  had 
a  stimulating  effect  by  showing  how  much  was  yet  needed  to 
bring  the  company  up  to  the  standard  of  excellence  at  which  it 
aimed.  As  an  indication  that  at  that  time  they  had  made  con 
siderable  progress  in  drill  and  discipline,  Ellsworth  is  reported  to 
have  said  that  he  anticipated  having  to  compete  with  some  well- 
drilled  militia  companies,  but  he  did  not  expect  to  find  one 
exhibiting  so  much  proficiency  as  the  Guards. 

The  annual  festival  in  January,  1861,  was  largely  attended,  and 
was  a  gathering  of  much  interest.  It  was  on  this  occasion  that 
Governor  Andrew  remarked  that  he  had  always  been  regarded  as 
a  peace  man,  and  that  he  was  so  much  a  friend  of  peace  that  he 
was  ready  to  fight  for  it. 

Jan.  23,  1861,  Captain  Gordon  presiding,  Governor  Andrew's 
celebrated  Order  No.  41  was  read.  In  accordance  with  its 

1  COMMONWEALTH  OF  MASSACHUSETTS, 

HEADQUARTERS,  BOSTON,  Jan.  16,  1861. 
General  Order  No.  4. 

Events  which  have  recently  occurred,  and  are  now  in  progress,  require  that  Massa 
chusetts  should  be  at  all  times  ready  to  furnish  her  quota  upon  any  requisition  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  to  aid  in  the  maintenance  of  the  laws  and  the  peace 
of  the  Union.  His  Excellency,  the  Commander-in-Chief,  therefore  orders, — 

That  the  commanding  officer  of  each  company  of  volunteer  militia  examine  with 


NEW   ENGLAND    GUARDS.  I  I 

provisions  every  member,  excepting  one  who  excused  himself  on 
the  ground  of  serious  illness  in  his  family,  pledged  himself  to  go 
to  the  front  immediately  should  the  company  be  called  upon.  A 
military  critic,  in  commenting  upon  the  Guards  about  this  time, 
remarks :  "  The  efficiency  and  improvement  of  the  company  in 
drill  is  owing  very  much  to  the  skill  and  ability  of  Captain  George 
H.  Gordon,  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  who  has  done  efficient 
service  in  the  United  States  Army ;  and  also  to  the  efforts  of  the 
excellent  orderly,  Thomas  G.  Stevenson." 

Just  previous  to  the  outbreak  of  the  War  the  "Tigers"  and 
the  "  Guards "  formed  respectively  Companies  A  and  B  of  the 
Second  Battalion  of  Infantry.  March  11,  1861,  Company  B  was 
set  off  as  Company  A  of  the  Fourth  Battalion ;  a  new  company, 
B,  was  formed,  and  Captain  Gordon  elected  major. 

The  first  call  for  troops  was  made  April  15,  1861.  As  the 
quota  of  Massachusetts  was  filled  by  the  regiments  which  were 
selected  by  Governor  Andrew,  the  battalions  were  not  required 
for  duty,  and  on  April  18  Major  Gordon  offered  his  services  to 
the  Governor  to  raise  and  command  a  regiment  of  volunteers  for 
the  war.  This  was  probably  the  first  offer  of  the  kind  received 
by  the  Commander-in-Chief.  Major  Gordon's  letter  of  resignation 
states  so  clearly  the  reasons  for  his  action,  and  gives  so  plainly 
his  views  of  the  proper  functions  of  the  organized  militia,  that  it 
has  been  copied  in  full :  - 

In  offering  to  the  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth  my  resignation  of 
the  office  of  Major  of  the  Fourth  Battalion  of  Infantry  to  assume  corn- 
care  the  roll  of  his  company,  and  cause  the  name  of  each  member,  together  with  his 
rank  and  place  of  residence,  to  be  properly  recorded,  and  a  copy  of  the  same  to  be 
forwarded  to  the  office  of  the  Adjutant-General.  Previous  to  which,  commanders  of 
companies  shall  make  strict  inquiry  whether  there  are  men  in  their  commands  who 
from  age,  physical  defect,  business,  or  family  causes,  may  be  unable  or  indisposed 
to  respond  at  once  to  the  orders  of  the  Commander-in-Chief,  made  in  response  to  the 
call  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  that  they  may  be  forthwith  discharged  ;  so 
that  their  places  may  be  filled  by  men  ready  for  any  public  exigency  which  may  arise, 
whenever  called  upon. 

After  the  above  orders  shall  have  been  fulfilled,  no  discharge,  either  of  officer  or 
private,  shall  be  granted,  unless  for  cause  satisfactory  to  the  Commander-in-Chief. 

If  any  companies  have  not  the  number  of  men  allowed  by  law,  the  commander  of 
the  same  shall  make  proper  exertions  to  have  the  vacancies  filled,  and  the  men 
properly  drilled  and  uniformed,  and  their  names  and  places  of  residence  forwarded 

to  headquarters.  .  .  . 

WILLIAM  SCHOULER,  Adjutant-General. 


12  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

mand  of  a  regiment  to  be  raised  for  service  during  the  existence  of  our 
present  unhappy  difficulties,  I  deem  it  due  to  the  members  composing 
that  battalion  to  state  publicly  my  reasons  therefor,  as  follows  :  — 

Wherever  any  son  of  Massachusetts  can  render  the  most  efficient  ser 
vice  to  the  State,  there,  in  iny  judgment,  should  his  efforts  be  given.  Al 
though  in  the  first  outbreak  of  war  reliance  must  necessarily  be  placed  on 
our  militia,  in  whose  ranks  are  found  men  of  the  best  classes  in  our  com 
munity,  yet  for  prolonged  and  continuous  service  a  composition  of  forces 
like  that  constituting  the  Army  of  the  General  Government  is  indisputably 
the  most  efficient  and  serviceable,  —  a  composition  in  which  the  character 
and  intelligence  of  our  best  citizens  must  be  used  to  organize  and  drill  the 
bone  and  muscle  of  those  upon  whom  we  must  rely  for  our  armies. 

Thus  we  may  with  a  small  body  of  well-instructed  gentlemen  impart 
information,  raise  into  an  organization,  and  render  efficient  very  many 
large  bodies  of  men,  all  of  whom  will  in  time  become  soldiers  rather  than 
undisciplined  mobs  of  raw  militia.  Where,  as  in  the  present  sudden  emer 
gency,  any,  even  the  least,  capacity  exists  to  impart  information  and  effi 
ciency  to  a  company  of  privates,  we  cannot  afford  to  waste  precious 
material  that  may  instruct  others  by  calling  it  to  render  individual  services 
as  privates  rather  than  officers. 

My  aim  as  chief  of  the  New  England  Guards  has  been  to  impart  to 
my  command  the  necessary  instruction  to  enable  them  to  command,  rather 
than  to  build  up  a  company  to  serve  as  privates  during  the  fatigues  of  a 
long  campaign. 

Massachusetts  needs  to-day  military  skill,  science,  and  power  to  in 
struct.  No  man  has  a  right  to  refuse  his  skill  to  drill  the  body  of  the 
militia  of  our  State,  even  though  he  sacrifice  that  ambition,  so  near  to  a 
soldier's  heart,  to  be  the  first  to  bleed  for  his  country. 

Believing  firmly  that  my  duty  lies  in  the  direction  I  have  chosen,  I 
have  acted  accordingly ;  and  knowing  how  hard  it  is  for  those  of  my  com 
mand  with  whom  I  have  been  so  intimately  associated,  and  for  whom  indi 
vidually  I  entertain  a  respect  that  can  never  abate,  and  whose  bravery  and 
patriotism  each  and  every  member  will  show  in  the  right  direction,  to 
be  kept  back  from  the  foremost  in  this  call  of  their  country,  I  remain,  ever 
devoted  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  and  the  Commonwealth 
of  Massachusetts, 

GEORGE  H.  GORDON.1 

This  letter  shows  conclusively  what  had  been  his  ambition. 
How  well  he  succeeded,  let  the  fact  that  his  command  of  but  two 
companies  furnished  to  the  army  during  the  war  upwards  of  two 

1  General  Gordon  referred  to  this  letter  in  his  remarks  at  the  tenth  annual  reunion, 
Jan.  20,  1886. 


NEW   ENGLAND   GUARDS.  13 

hundred  commissioned  officers  and  a  large  number  of  non-com 
missioned  officers  and  privates  fully  attest.  Captain  Putnam  said 
at  a  meeting  of  the  Guard  Association  held  some  time  after  the 
close  of  the  war,  that  out  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-one  members 
who  were  on  duty  at  Fort  Independence  in  the  spring  of  1861, 
before  the  close  of  the  year  one  hundred  and  sixteen  had  been 
commissioned  and  several  had  enlisted  in  the  ranks.  At  the 
same  meeting  Colonel  Hutchins  said  that  of  the  whole  number 
who  were  at  the  fort  all  but  fifteen  had  gone  into  the  army 
within  a  very  short  time  after  their  return  to  the  city. 

That  the  wives  and  mothers  of  the  members  were  as  patriotic 
as  their  husbands  and  sons  it  is  needless  to  say,  as  women  are 
always  foremost  in  any  work  calling  for  self-sacrifice.  On  the 
same  day  that  Major  Gordon  tendered  his  services,  Mrs.  J. 
Thomas  Stevenson,  the  mother  of  our  former  orderly,  captain, 
major,  and  brigadier-general,  the  beloved  and  lamented  Thomas 
G.  Stevenson,  acting  as  the  representative  of  three  hundred  Bos 
ton  ladies  who  were  willing  to  go  to  the  front  as  nurses  if  they 
should  be  needed,  called  on  the  Governor  and  offered  their 
services. 

April  25,  1 86 1,  in  accordance  with  the  following  orders,  the 
Guards  went  on  duty  at  Fort  Independence:  — 

HEADQUARTERS,  BOSTON,  April  24,  1861. 
Special  Order  No.  75. 

Captain  Thomas  G.  Stevenson,  commanding  Fourth  Battalion,  First 
Brigade,  First  Division,  is  hereby  ordered,  with  the  battalion  under  his 

command,  to  report  at o'clock  A.M.,  April  25,  at  the  State  House, 

thence  to  proceed,  after  being  supplied  with  the  necessary  arms  and  equip 
ments,  to  Fort  Independence,  on  Castle  Island,  in  Boston  Harbor,  to 
garrison  and  protect  said  fort  until  further  orders. 

These  troops  are  charged  with  this  duty  in  pursuance  of  their  own  pa 
triotic  wishes,  and   are  to  be  supplied  with  rations  by  the  State,  but  to 
perform  the  service  without  compensation. 
By  command, 

WILLIAM  SCHOULER, 

Adjutant-  General. 

HEADQUARTERS,  FOURTH  BATTALION  INFANTRY,  M.  V.  M. 
BOSTON,  April  25,  1861. 

You  are  hereby  ordered  to  appear  at  the  armory  of  the  Fourth  Battalion 
of  Infantry,  Boylston  Hall,  to-day  at  12  o'clock,  for  active  service  at  Fort 


14  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

Independence,  in  dark  pantaloons  and  cap.  There  will  be  provided  by 
the  State,  overcoat,  knapsack,  blanket,  two  pairs  of  stockings,  two 
woollen  shirts.  You  will  provide  yourself  with  towels,  brushes,  etc.,  and 
one  extra  pair  of  boots  or  shoes. 

Per  order, 

THOMAS  G.  STEVENSON, 

Captain  Commanding. 

Before  leaving  for  Fort  Independence  the  Guard  was  presented 
with  a  beautiful  silk  flag  by  the  young  ladies  of  Mr.  Caleb 
Emery's  school.  Each  member  was  also  given  a  good  service 
able  fatigue-jacket  by  Mr.  Parker  Whitney,  of  the  Cadets. 

The  battalion  went  to  Fort  Independence  under  command  of 
Captain  Thomas  G.  Stevenson.  Company  A,  Lieutenant  Osborn, 
had  fifty-seven  guns,  and  Company  B,  Lieutenant  Otis,  sixty- 
three  guns.  May  4,  1861,  Captain  Stevenson  was  elected  Major. 
On  May  1 1  the  roster  was  as  follows :  — 

Major Thomas  G.  Stevenson. 

Adjutant John  F.  Anderson. 

Surgeon Dr.  Hall  Curtis. 

Quartermaster William  V.  Hutchings. 

Company  A,  Captain Francis  A.  Osborn. 

First  Lieut John  F.  Prince,  Jr. 

Second  Lieut.   .     .     .  E.  M.  Dennie. 

Third  Lieut.      .     .     .  Charles  H.  Hooper. 

Fourth  Lieut.    .     .     .  Stephen  Cabot. 

Company  B,  Captain R.  H.  Stevenson. 

First  Lieut William  C.  Otis. 

Second  Lieut.   .     .     .  Francis  W.  Palfrey. 

Third  Lieut.      .     .     .  John  Q.  Adams. 

Fourth  Lieut.    .     .     .  J.  R.  Gregerson. 

The  complete  list  of  the  commanders  of  the  Guards  is  as 
follows :  — 

Samuel  Swett elected  Sept.  22,  1812. 

George  Sullivan "  April  2,  1814. 

George  W.  Lyman "  May  6,  1817. 

Franklin  Dexter "  Aug.  22,  1820. 

Charles  G.  Loring "  May  23,  1823. 

William  H.  Gardiner "  May  3,  1825. 

William  F.  Otis "  May  6,  1828. 


NEW   ENGLAND   GUARDS.  15 

Edward  G.  Loring -  .  elected  June  8,  1829. 

Richard  S.  Fay "  March  31,  1831. 

Thomas  Dwight "  April  23,  1835. 

Alanson  Tucker "  May  3,  1836. 

H.  H.  W.  Sigourney "  April  4,  1838. 

George  Tyler  Bigelow "  Jan.  15,  1839. 

Charles  Gordon "  Jan.  9,  1841. 

J.  Putnam  Bradlee "  March  20,  1845. 

Joseph  L.  Henshaw "  March  16,  1852. 

George  T.  Lyman "  Jan.  28,  1857. 

Harrison  Ritchie "  Dec.  30,  1859. 

George  H.  Gordon "  1860. 

Thomas  G.  Stevenson "  May  4,  1861. 

Francis  L.  Lee "  1862. 

The  following  extracts  from  reports  of  visitors  to  the  fort, 
selected  from  newspapers  published  at  that  time,  will  indicate  the 
opinion  which  was  generally  entertained  of  the  organization  :  — 

"Everything  looks  like  business,  and  West  Point  Cadets  are  not  put 
through  a  more  rigid  drill  by  more  competent  officers." 

"...  The  first  impression  which  strikes  the  observer  is  that  of  disci 
pline.  The  commander,  Captain  Stevenson,  has  risen  rapidly  from  the 
ranks,  evincing  peculiar  capacity  for  military  discipline  and  command  ;  and 
we  may  add  that  he  is  well  supported  by  an  enthusiastic  and  excellent 
body  of  officers  and  men." 

"  The  Fourth  Battalion  of  Infantry,  at  present  stationed  at  Fort  Inde 
pendence,  is  composed  for  the  most  part  of  sons  of  wealthy  merchants  in 
this  city,  and  on  this  account  they  are  inclined  to  be  sensitive,  fearing  that 
the  peculiar  service  to  which  they  have  been  appointed  will  be  construed 
as  an  indication  of  their  desire  to  play  the  gentleman  soldier  and  an  un 
willingness  to  be  called  into  the  field,  which  is  far  from  the  case.  .  .  . 
These  young  men  at  Fort  Independence  are  by  strict  discipline  perfecting 
and  inuring  themselves  in  preparation  for  the  real  hardships  of  war  and 
active  service  into  which  they  may  soon  be  called.  Let  them  rest  assured 
that  their  zeal  and  patriotism  will  not  be  questioned,  though  they  tempora 
rily  occupy  Fort  Independence  instead  of  Fort  Monroe  or  Pickens." 

"  The  Fourth  Battalion  of  Infantry,  Major  Stevenson  (without  dispar 
aging  other  corps  which  show  as  creditable  proficiency  in  their  drill), 
stands  at  the  head  of  the  military  organizations  of  this  State  for  precision 
of  movement,  skilful  performance  of  complicated  manoeuvres,  and  general 
discipline.  There  have  been  and  there  are  companies  which  the  Fourth 


1 6  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

would  find  hard  to  beat  in  rapid  and  correct  execution  of  the  manual ; 
but  there  are  none  as  yet  that  can  compare  with  the  Fourth  in  the  other 
qualities  which  constitute  an  incomparable  military  association." 

The  term  of  service  at  the  fort  was  utilized  to  the  best  possi 
ble  advantage.  All  of  our  boys  can  bear  witness  to  the  rare  skill 
of  General  Stevenson  as  a  commander,  and  have  felt  the  personal 
magnetism  which  affected  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 
He  was  fairly  idolized  by  his  men,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  any  one 
less  peculiarly  fitted  for  the  position  could  have  maintained  as 
strict  discipline. 

May  26,  in  accordance  with  special  order  No.  249,  dated  May 
21,  they  were  relieved  by  the  Fourth  Battalion  of  Rifles,  under 
command  of  Major  Leonard.  On  this  occasion  was  performed 
for  the  first  time  the  "Fourth  Battalion  Quickstep,"  arranged  by 
P.  S.  Gilmore,  which  immediately  became  sucfi  a  favorite,  and 
to  the  inspiriting  strains  of  which  we  have  all  marched  so  many 
times.  On  reaching  the  Common  they  were  received  by  the 
veteran,  Colonel  Swett,  their  first  commander,  and  there  gave  a 
dress-parade  and  battalion-drill,  "  to  the  delight  of  the  spectators, 
among  whom  was  found  many  a  military  critic  who  found  no 
cause  for  disparagement." 

Colonel  Gordon's  regiment,  the  Second,  drew  largely  on  the 
battalion  for  its  officers,  as  did  also  the  Sixteenth,  Twentieth,  and 
Twenty-fourth  Massachusetts.  There  was  scarcely  a  regiment 
raised  in  the  eastern  part  of  this  State  in  which  the  Guards  were 
not  represented,  either  among  the  field,  line,  or  staff;  and  many 
were  commissioned  in  the  service  of  other  States.  Of  six  Bos 
ton  officers  whose  portraits  appear  in  the  third  volume  of  the 
"  Memorial  History  of  Boston,"  —  General  Stevenson,  General 
Bartlett,  Colonel  Revere,  Colonel  Shaw,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Dwight,  and  Major  Abbott,  —  four  received  their  early  military 
training  as  privates  in  the  New  England  Guards,  as  did  the 
author  of  the  chapter  (Francis  W.  Palfrey),  who  rose  to  the 
rank  of  brigadier-general,  and,  subsequent  to  the  war,  was  for 
many  years  in  command  of  the  Cadets. 

In  August,  1861,  the  battalion  volunteered  its  services;  but  on 
the  2 1st  or  22d  of  the  month  they  received  an  answer  from  the 
War  Department  refusing  to  accept  them  as  a  battalion.  On  the 


NEW   ENGLAND   GUARDS.  If 

29th  of  that  month  they  voted  to  raise  a  regiment,  and  on  the  3 1st 
the  official  authority  for  so  doing  was  granted  Major  Stevenson. 
Most  of  the  line,  and  all  of  the  field  and  staff,  were  selected  from 
the  Guards,  and  several  members,  who  were  afterwards  commis 
sioned,  enlisted  in  the  ranks.  This  regiment,  the  Twenty-fourth, 
formed  a  part  of  the  Burnside  expedition,  and  did  not  leave  the 
State  till  the  early  part  of  December.  Just  previous  to  its  de 
parture,  Past-Commanders  Swett,  Lyman,  Loring,  Gardiner,  Fay, 
Tucker,  Bigelow,  Charles  Gordon,  Bradlee,  Henshaw,  and  Ritchie 
presented  to  Colonel  Stevenson  a  horse  and  suitable  equipments. 
In  the  latter  part  of  1860,  when  the  prospect  of  civil  war 
became  imminent,  there  was  a  general  desire  on  the  part  of  citi 
zens,  young  and  old,  to  learn  at  least  the  rudiments  of  military 
drill.  Clubs  for  this  purpose  were  organized  all  over  the  State. 
One  of  the  largest  and  most  successful  of  these  was  commanded 
by  a  Frenchman  named  Salignac,  and  at  one  time  numbered 
nearly,  if  not  quite,  one  thousand  members.  A  fencing-club,  in 
which  several  who  were  afterwards  commissioned  in  our  regiment 
had  for  a  long  time  been  interested,  was  the  nucleus.  Soon  after 
the  actual  outbreak  of  hostilities  the  Government  recalled  the 
arms  and  equipments  which  had  been  loaned  to  the  drill-club, 
and  it  consequently  disbanded.  Several  who  were  unwilling  to 
relinquish  their  military  lessons  then  organized  the  "  Massachu 
setts  Rifle  Club,"  and  engaged  as  instructor  a  Mr.  Pease,  who  was 
a  drill-sergeant  in  the  Hythe  School,  England.  Mr.  Pease,  re 
moving  to  the  West,  was  succeeded  by  a  Prussian  officer  of  artil 
lery,  named  Steffen.  Under  his  tuition  the  instruction  given  was 
extended  to  embrace  field  fortification,  grand  tactics,  and  various 
other  subjects,  the  knowledge  of  which  would  prove  valuable  to 
an  officer  in  active  service.  They  secured  the  privilege  of  using 
the  Fourth  Battalion  armory  for  drill  and  for  the  storage  of  their 
arms  and  equipments.  The  regiments  which  had  already  left  for 
the  seat  of  war  had  drawn  so  heavily  on  the  Guards  for  their 
officers,  and  so  many  of  its  members  had  gone  to  the  front,  that 
the  corps  was  completely  demoralized,  scarcely  a  corporal's 
guard  remaining  at  home.  In  the  winter  of  1861-1862  the 
Massachusetts  Rifle  Club  united  with  the  Guards.  Major  Francis 
L.  Lee,  who  had  been  in  command  of  the  former  organization, 

2 


1 8  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

was  elected  to  the  command  of  the  battalion,  and  renewed  inter 
est  was  manifested  immediately. 

In  May,  1862,  at  the  time  of  Banks's  retreat,  the  militia  of 
Massachusetts  were  called  out  with  the  expectation  that  they 
would  go  to  the  front.  (General  Order  No.  14,  May  26,  1862.) 
The  order  for  them  to  assemble  on  Boston  Common  was  issued 
on  the  26th,  and  on  the  2/th  some  four  thousand  had  reported. 
The  Boston  and  Salem  Cadets  were  mustered  in  immediately, 
and  were  sent  to  Fort  Warren  to  relieve  the  companies  stationed 
there  in  guarding  the  Rebel  prisoners,  as  the  latter  were  to  be 
sent  to  the  seat  of  war.  Before  the  rest  of  the  militia  could  be 
mustered  it  was  found  that  under  the  law  they  might  be  held  for 
a  period  of  eight  months,  and  with  the  exception  of  the  New 
England  Guards,  every  company  that  had  reported  refused  to  be 
sworn  in  for  longer  than  three  months.  Some  of  the  companies 
were  unanimous  in  their  refusal  and  others  nearly  so.  Under 
these  circumstances,  the  Governor  telegraphed  to  the  War  De 
partment  for  authority  to  send  them  for  three  months.  After 
some  delay  he  received  for  answer  that,  owing  to  certain  con 
centrations,  the  men  would  not  be  needed,  and  they  were  ac 
cordingly  dismissed.'  The  Fourth  Battalion  was  mustered  out  on 
the  28th  (General  Order  No.  16,  May  27,  1862),  making  their 
term  of  service  just  three  days,  having  been  mustered  in  on 
the  26th. 

The  Boston  "  Herald  "  of  the  2/th  says  :  "  The  strange  appear 
ance  of  one  of  our  own  corps  ('  Corporal '  Zenas  T.  Haines,  of 
Company  D)  in  Zouave  dress,  with  a  change  of  clothes  strapped 
upon  his  back,  at  an  unusually  early  hour  in  the  editorial  room, 
indicated  the  promptness  with  which  the  corps  responded  to  the 
Governor's  call." 

The  roster  of  the  battalion  at  that  time  was:  Major,  Francis  L. 
Lee ;  Adjutant,  Charles  C.  Soule ;  Quartermaster,  Charles  H. 
Dalton.  Company  A:  Captain,  E.  C.  Cabot;  First  Lieutenant, 
E.  M.  Dennie ;  Second  Lieutenant,}.  H.  Lombard.  Company 
B:  Captain,  J.  R.  Gregerson ;  First  Lieutenant,  J.  R.  Kendall; 
Second  Lieutenant,  F.  W.  Reynolds. 

When  it  was  expected  that  the  battalion  was  going  to  the 
front,  a  very  large  number  of  young  men  joined.  On  the  27th, 


NEW   ENGLAND   GUARDS.  19 

Special  Order  No.  104  authorized  the  formation  of  a  third  com 
pany,  and  directed  the  election  of  officers.  No  record  can  be 
found,  however,  that  officers  were  chosen.  The  students  of 
Harvard  College  offered  a  company  to  be  attached  to  the  bat 
talion,  and  the  President  and  Faculty  approved,  provided  it 
should  be  found  that  their  services  were  needed. 

One  of  the  newspapers,  in  referring  to  the  matter  editorially, 
says :  "  But  their  action  yesterday,  in  such  marked  contrast  with 
that  of  other  corps  in  this  city,  will  be  remembered  to  their 
credit,  and  give  this  gallant  battalion  an  addition  to  their  pre 
vious  honorable  prestige." 

On  the  28th  Governor  Andrew  presented  the  Guards  with  a 
flag,  and  in  his  speech  said:  "Your  conduct  is  what  might  be 
expected,  and  an  earnest  of  what  may  be  relied  upon  for  the 
Fourth  Battalion ;  and  I  pledge  you  that  during  the  brief  space 
that  I  may  occupy  my  present  position  with  regard  to  the  militia, 
there  shall  be  no  position  of  honor  within  my  gift  higher  than 
that  assigned  to  the  Fourth  Battalion." 

Aug.  4,  1862,  the  call  came  for  300,000  nine  months'  men. 
August  5,  the  battalion  voted  unanimously  to  serve  for  that 
length  of  time,  but  having  had  some  experience  of  the  difficulty 
of  getting  a  battalion  accepted,  on  the  7th  they  voted  to  raise  a 
regiment,  and  before  the  meeting  adjourned  between  two  and 
three  hundred  members  had  signed  the  rolls.  The  battalion  was 
swallowed  up  in  the  regiment. 

About  the  time  the  Forty-fourth  went  into  camp,  the  older 
members  voted  to  organize  a  "  Home  Guard,"  or  "  Veteran 
Association."  This  society  existed  for  some  time.  The  de 
parture  of  the  Forty-fourth  had  taken  away  nearly  all  the  active 
members.  After  its  return  a  large  number  of  those  who  had 
formerly  belonged  to  the  Guards  went  into  service  again  as  com 
missioned  officers ;  the  others  felt  they  were  too  few  in  numbers 
to  keep  up  the  active  company ;  many  thought  that  it  was  no 
time  to  try  to  build  up  a  military  company  for  home  duty  when 
every  available  man  was  needed  in  the  field.  For  these  and 
other  reasons  no  attempt  was  made  to  form  an  active  company 
until  1872  or  1873,  when  at  a  meeting  of  the  "Veteran  Associa 
tion  "  the  subject  was  referred  to,  and  for  two  or  three  years  a 


20  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

strong  effort  was  made  to  revive  the  charter,  but  without  a 
favorable  result. 

The  New  England  Guards  was  organized  in  September,  1812. 
It  closed  its  existence,  September,  1862,  when  the  Forty-fourth 
Regiment  went  into  camp  and  the  battalion  was  merged  in  the 
regiment.  For  fifty  years  it  had  had  an  honorable  record,  and 
on  its  roll  of  members  are  inscribed  the  names  of  some  of  the 
most  prominent,  best-known,  and  most  widely  influential  of  the 
citizens  of  Boston. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1862  Captain  Charles  G.  Loring 
said :  — 

"  Why  have  the  New  England  Guards  excelled  so  much  in  military  dis 
cipline,  in  moral  character,  and  always  enjoyed  so  much  of  the  public 
confidence?  It  was  because  in  1812,  when  this  venerable  man  (Colonel 
Swett),  who  was  then  its  commander,  and  who  commanded  it  so  nobly 
and  so  gloriously,  —  it  was  because  he  and  those  associated  with  him  in 
getting  up  the  New  England  Guards  took  care  that  it  should  be  com 
posed  exclusively  of  gentlemen  and  men  of  good  moral  character.  From 
that  time  to  this,  the  New  England  Guards  has  been,  as  I  believe,  a  most 
exemplary  and  moral  company." 

The  statement  has  been  made,  and  so  far  as  can  be  ascertained 
it  is  believed  to  be  correct,  that  the  New  England  Guards  is  the 
only  military  organization  in  this  country  that  ever  lost  its 
charter  in  consequence  of  sending  so  many  of  its  members  into 
active  service  that  there  was  not  a  sufficient  number  left  at  home 
to  keep  it  alive. 


"?.  -£  -  •' 


CHAPTER   II. 


UGUST  4,  1862,  President  Lin 
coln  issued  a  call  for  300,000 
men  to  serve  nine  months. 
The  proportion  to  be  fur 
nished  by  Massachusetts,  "  by 
some  process  of  arithmetic 
known  only  to  the  authorities 
in  Washington,"  was  fixed  at 
19,090.  The  quota  was  to  be 
raised  by  "  draft,  in  accord 
ance  with  orders  from  the  War 
Department  and  the  laws  of 
the  several  States."  These  or 
ders  were  issued  August  9, 

and  additional  ones  sent  August  14.  Governor  Andrew  was 
desirous  of  avoiding  the  necessity  of  a  draft,  and  on  August  8 
he  wrote  the  President :  — 

"...  I  am  confident  of  getting  more  volunteers  and  militia  this 
month  by  enlistments,  and  by  wheeling  militia  into  line,  than  conscription 
could  bring  in  the  same  time.  Meanwhile,  will  be  preparing  machinery 
for  draft. 

"  Our  people  want  nothing  to  spur  them  but  assurance  from  Washing 
ton  that  the  enemy  shall  be  conquered,  and  right  vindicated  at  all  hazards 
by  our  arms." 

In  filling  this  requisition  for  troops  he  acted  on  the  plan  here 
advised. 

August  5,  at  a  regular  meeting  of  the  Fourth  Battalion,  it  was 
unanimously  voted  that  the  Governor  be  petitioned  to  authorize 


22  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

the  corps  to  recruit  to  a  full  regiment  for  the  nine  months' 
service.  The  request  received  prompt  attention  and  resulted  in 
the  following  order :  — 

COMMONWEALTH  OF  MASSACHUSETTS, 

HEADQUARTERS,  BOSTON,  Aug.  7,  1862. 
Special  Order  No,  597. 

The  Fourth  Battalion  of  Infantry,  First  Brigade,  First  Division,  M.  V.  M., 
is  authorized  to  recruit  to  the  size  of  a  regiment  of  ten  companies  of 
ninety- eight  enlisted  men  each,  conforming  in  all  respects  both  as  to  the 
quality  of  the  enlisted  men  and  otherwise  to  the  militia  laws  of  the  United 
States,  each  man  in  the  regiment  being  required  to  sign  an  agreement  to 
serve  upon  any  requisition  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States  issued 
during  the  present  year  as  a  militia  man  for  the  term  of  nine  months  con 
secutively,  if  orders  therefor  shall  be  issued  to  his  regiment  or  any  portion 
thereof  by  the  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  militia  of  Massachusetts. 

Major- General  Andrews,  commanding  First  Division,  will  transmit  this 
order. 

By  command  of  his  Excellency, 

JOHN  A.  ANDREW, 
Governor  and  Commander-in-Chief. 
WILLIAM  BROWN,  A.  A.  G. 

On  the  same  day  Special  Order  No.  596,  worded  like  the 
above,  gave  permission  to  the  Second  Battalion,  "  Tigers,"  to 
recruit  to  a  regiment,  which  afterwards  became  the  Forty-third ; 
and  on  August  II  the  following  order  authorized  the  formation 
of  the  Forty-fifth  Regiment: 

COMMONWEALTH  OF  MASSACHUSETTS, 

HEADQUARTERS,  BOSTON,  Aug.  n,  1862. 
Special  Order  No.  607. 

Captain  Charles  R.  Codman,  of  Boston,  Adjutant  of  the  Company  of 
Cadets,  First  Division,  M.  V.  M.,  is  hereby  authorized  to  recruit  for  a 
regiment  of  infantry  in  the  M.  V.  M.,  under  the  auspices  of  said  company 
of  Cadets. 

By  command  of  his  Excellency, 

JOHN  A.  ANDREW, 
Governor  and  Commander-in-Chief. 
WILLIAM  SCHOULER.  Adjutant-  General. 

A  meeting  of  the  Fourth  Battalion  was  held  at  the  armory, 
Boylston  Hall,  on  the  evening  of  August  7.  It  was  called  to 
order  by  Captain  Cabot.  The  reading  of  Special  Order  No.  597 
was  received  with  cheers,  and  a  grand  rush  was  made  for  the 


ORGANIZATION,   AND    CAMP   AT   READVILLE.  23 

enrolment  lists,  each  wishing  to  get  his  name  as  near  the  head 
as  possible.  Nearly  every  one  present  signed  the  roll  for  the 
new  regiment,  and  before  the  meeting  adjourned  almost  three 
hundred  men  had  joined.  Major  Lee  had  been  passing  the  sum 
mer  at  his  place  at  Westport,  N.  Y.  As  soon  as  he  learned  from 
the  newspapers  that  the  call  for  nine  months'  troops  had  been 
made,  anticipating  the  action  that  the  battalion  would  take,  he 
started  for  Boston,  and  reached  the  armory  just  as  the  men  had 
begun  to  sign  the  roll.  Before  adjournment  he  suggested  that 
each  member  make  himself  a  "  recruiting  committee  of  one,"  and 
added,  that  as  all  could  not  go  as  officers  and  as  undoubtedly  we 
had  a  choice  of  associates,  this  plan  would  be  much  more  likely 
to  secure  those  who  would  be  agreeable  than  the  usual  one  of  a 
regular  recruiting  headquarters  and  acceptance  of  all  who  might 
choose  to  volunteer. 

Authority  was  immediately  granted  to  Messrs.  J.  H.  Lombard, 
H.  D.  Sullivan,  Spencer  W.  Richardson,  Charles  Storrow,  Charles 
Hunt,  J.  R.  Kendall,  and  F.  W.  Reynolds,  all  of  whom  had  been 
officers  in  the  battalion,  to  raise  companies.  These  gentlemen 
selected  their  assistants,  who  were  afterwards  commissioned  lieu 
tenants.  James  M.  Richardson,  who  had  been  a  captain  in  the 
Twenty-first,  and  William  V.  Smith,  who  had  been  a  lieutenant  in 
the  Eighteenth,  also  received  authority.  A  company  recruited 
exclusively  in  Newton  by  John  M.  Griswold  was  afterwards 
added. 

Each  member  of  the  battalion  seemed  inclined  to  follow  the 
advice  of  Major  Lee,  and  worked  as  if  the  success  of  the  regiment 
depended  on  his  individual  exertions.  Most  of  the  companies 
made  the  Boylston  Hall  armory  their  headquarters ;  but  Com 
pany  E,  Captain  Spencer  W.  Richardson,  located  at  the  rooms  of 
the  Mercantile  Library  Association.  Captain  Richardson  was  an 
ex-president  of  that  society,  which  took  a  strong  interest  in  the 
company  he  commanded.  August  11,  it  passed  a  resolution 
making  all  who  should  enlist  in  Company  E  members  of  the 
Library  Association. 

At  this  time  the  interest  in  filling  the  quota  of  the  city  was 
most  intense.  Besides  our  regiment,  there  were  being  recruited 
in  Boston  and  immediate  vicinity  the  Forty-third,  Forty-fifth, 


24  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

Forty-seventh,  and  several  companies  for  the  Forty-second.  The 
Fifth  had  three  companies  from  Charlestown,  one  each  from 
Somerville,  Medford,  and  Watertown ;  and  the  Sixth,  one  from 
Cambridge.  By  general  agreement  many  of  the  merchants 
closed  their  places  of  business  at  2  or  3  P.  M.,  and  the  afternoon 
was  devoted  to  the  work  of  encouraging  enlistments. 

On  the  8th  the  battalion  paraded,  some  wearing  the  "  Chas 
seur  "  uniform  and  some  clad  in  citizen's  dress.  Other  parades 
were  made  while  the  regiment  was  being  formed.  On  the  2Oth 
we  had  about  five  hundred  in  the  ranks.  August  19,  eight  com 
panies  having  reported  the  minimum  number  of  enlisted  men, 
the  following  order  was  issued :  - 

Special  Order  No.  650. 

The  Fourth  Battalion,  First  Brigade,  First  Division,  M.  V.  M.,  will  be 
forthwith  organized  into  a  regiment  of  ten  companies  and  designated  as 
the  Forty-fourth  Regiment  of  Massachusetts  Volunteer  Militia. 

Rolls  of  companies  enlisted  by  J.  H.  Lombard,  J.  R.  Kendall,  Charles 
Hunt,  H.  D.  Sullivan,  Spencer  W.  Richardson,  Charles  Storrow,  F.  W. 
Reynolds,  and  W.  V.  Smith  having  been  legally  returned  to  the  Adjutant- 
General,  the  companies  will  be  immediately  organized  by  the  election  of 
officers  and  attached  to  said  regiment.  The  usual  ten  days'  notice  for  the 
election  of  company  and  field  officers  will  be  waived. 

Major-General  Andrews  is  charged  with  the  execution  of  this  order. 

By  command  of  his  Excellency, 

JOHN  A.  ANDREW, 
Governor  and  Commander-in-Chief. 
WILLIAM  SCHOULER,  Adjutant- Getter al. 

August  29,  the  regiment  went  into  camp  at  Readville,  quite 
near  the  station,  on  the  ground  between  the  Boston  and  Providence 
and  the  New  York  and  New  England  Railroads,  south  of  the  junc 
tion,  the  field  being  just  east  of  the  embankment  of  the  latter 
road.  The  barracks  —  a  separate  building  for  each  company  — 
were  built  very  nearly  at  right  angles  with  the  embankment,  and 
the  field  in  which  we  drilled  and  held  our  dress-parades  was  east 
and  north  of  the  barracks. 

During  the  ten  days  intervening  between  the  issuing  of  Special 
Order  No.  650  and  going  into  camp,  quite  a  large  number  of  men 
had  joined,  so  that  when  the  regiment  reported  at  Readville  it 
contained  about  the  maximum  number  allowed  by  law.  Still, 


ORGANIZATION,   AND   CAMP   AT   READVILLE.  25 

recruits  appeared  who  wished  to  belong  to  the  Forty-fourth,  and 
as  it  was  very  probable  that  the  critical  surgical  examination  our 
surgeons  proposed  making  would  cause  the  rejection  of  many 
who  accompanied  the  regiment  to  camp,  the  late  comers  were 
accepted  with  the  understanding  that  they  should  be  selected  to 
fill  the  anticipated  vacancies.  At  one  time  there  were  nearly 
twelve  hundred  names  on  the  rolls  of  the  regiment.  At  the  date 
that  we  were  authorized  to  elect  officers  none  of  the  towns  in  the 
State  had  offered  bounties  to  the  nine  months'  troops ;  and  when 
we  reached  Readville  with  full  ranks,  comparatively  few  had 
taken  action  on  the  matter.1  The  State  paid  no  bounty  to  the 
nine  months'  troops.  Although  some  of  our  men  collected  the 
town  bounties,  to  which  they  were  entitled  under  the  provisions 
of  the  several  votes  granting  them,  they  had  enlisted  before  the 
votes  were  passed,  and  we  think  we  can  justly  claim  the  credit  of 
having  been  the  last  regiment  recruited  before  the  bounty  system 
went  into  general  operation. 

Among  our  members  was  Zenas  T.  Haines,  Corporal  in  Com 
pany  D,  a  journalist  by  profession,  who  was  the  regular  corre 
spondent  of  the  Boston  "  Herald "  while  the  regiment  was  in 
service.  His  pictures  of  camp  life  are  so  vivid  and  complete 
that  they  will  be  quoted  frequently,  as  even  after  the  lapse  of 
twenty  years  it  would  be  difficult  to  improve  his  descriptions. 
In  his  first  letter,  dated  "Barracks  at  Readville,  Aug.  30,  1862," 
he  says : — 

"...  The  Forty-fourth  came  one  day  too  soon  to  barrack  at  Read 
ville,  but  it  was  their  own  fault.  The  fine  new  barracks  just  erected  there 
were  not  completed,  and  will  not  be  until  to-night,  although  now  habitable, 
and  comfortable  as  heart  can  desire.  But  all  have  had  to  work  to  pro 
duce  this  comfortable  state  of  affairs  so  early,  and  the  'school  of  the 
soldier'  has  been  neglected  to-day. 

"  Our  first  night  in  barracks  was  exceedingly  jolly,  as  was  to  have  been 
expected.  Poor  devils  who  depend  on  good  sleep  and  a  good  deal  of  it 
for  what  vitality  they  can  muster,  might  have  probably  sworn  last  night  if 

1  Bounties  to  nine  months'  men  were  voted  as  follows  :  Boston,  September  8  ; 
Cambridge,  August  20;  Dorchester,  August  21;  Framingham,  September  i;  West 
Roxbury,  September  6 ;  Walpole,  August  19;  Roxbury,  August  27;  Waltham,  Au 
gust  20;  Maiden,  August  27  ;  Weston,  August  19;  Chelsea,  September  15.  Newton 
did  not  formally  vote  bounty,  but  on  November  4  approved  the  act  of  the  Selectmen 
in  paying  it.  (Adjutant-General  Schouler's  "  Massachusetts  in  the  Rebellion.") 


26 


FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 


they  had  been  obliged  to  barrack  at  Readville.  Not  that  the  boys  were 
riotous,  or  even  obstreperous,  but  simply  jolly.  We  supped  on  hard 
bread,  and  coffee  hotter  than  the  crater  of  Vesuvius.  Then,  pipes  and 
cigars  lighted,  the  early  evening  was  devoted  to  music  —  songs  of  home. 
After  we  had  retired  to  our  bunks,  music  of  another  character  '  beguiled  ' 
the  hours  of  the  night. 

"  Your  correspondent  slept  not  at  all  the  first  night  in  barrack,  for  ob 
vious  reasons.  The  inside  musical  performances  opened  with  a  barnyard 
chorus  by  the  entire  company,  followed  by  rapid,  unintermitting  succession 
of  dog,  hog,  pig,  and  rooster  solos,  duets  and  quartets,  single  and  com 
bined,  which  continued  in  great  volume  until  the  unexpected  arrival  of 
the  captain  and  his  lieutenants,  who  are  unfortunately  without  any  ear 
for  music.  After  a  short  intermission  the  performance  was  resumed  in 
a  greatly  modified  condition,  commencing  with  admirable  imitations  of 


chickens  astray  from  the  shelter  of  the  maternal  wing,  and  coming  to  a 
pause  with  the  low,  small,  satisfied  twitterings  of  chickens  in  clover. 

"  Then  followed  sounds  less  artistic,  but  not  less  suggestive  to  the  gen 
eral  appreciation,  intermingled  with  snatches  of  conversation  of  a  highly 
festive  character.  The  good  wit  of  the  occasion  rendered  endurable  what 
would  otherwise  have  been  an  intolerable  nuisance  to  any  one  wanting 
sleep  as  badly  as  your  humble  servant ;  but  at  last,  as  it  must  be  confessed, 
even  this  element  failed  to  satisfy  a  scientific  audience.  Objurgations,  not 
loud  but  deep,  came  from  a  number  of  bunks  where  sleep  had  failed  to 
come,  or  tarried  a  moment  to  be  cruelly  banished. 

"To-day  we  have  been  applying  finishing  touches  to  our  quarters,  and 
exercising  in  company  movements,  by  squads,  etc.  The  turn-out  at 
reveille  this  morning  at  five  o'clock  was  a  new  sensation,  even  to  the 
'Corporal.'  The  style  of  the  morning's  ablutions  was  a  novelty  too. 


ORGANIZATION,   AND   CAMP   AT   READVILLE.  27 

Instead  of  basins  and  soap  at  the  barracks,  we  were  ordered  to  '  fall  in 
with  towels,'  and  then  were  positively  marched  to  a  pond  to  wash  our 
hands  and  faces.  Oh  the  degradation  of  military  rule  !  Such  is  war." 

This  exuberance  wore  off  quickly,  as  none  of  us  felt  inclined 
to  keep  awake  all  night  after  several  hours'  severe  drill  during 
the  day,  with  the  certainty  that  at  five  o'clock  the  next  morning 
the  unwelcome  reveille  would  rouse  us  from  our  luxurious 
slumbers. 

Almost  as  soon  as  we  reached  camp  one  quality  was  developed 
which  seemed  to  be  characteristic  of  the  Forty-fourth,  that  of 
making  themselves  as  comfortable  as  circumstances  would  per 
mit,  and  considering  the  ornamental  as  well  as  the  useful.  "  Cor 
poral  "  writes,  September  6 :  — 

"  .  .  .  There  is  some  emulation  among  the  companies  in  the  way  of 
neatness,  convenience,  and  decorations  about  their  several  barracks.  The 
palm  is  due  to  Company  D  for  an  early  display  of  flags  upon  the  outside, 
and  also  for  certain  novel  decorations  of  the  interior  in  the  shape  of  one  or 
two  delicate  articles  of  apparel  probably  wafted  by  the  wind  from  a  wash 
ing  hung  out  to  dry. 

"  Company  F  having  had  the  temerity  to  erect  a  flagstaff  taller  than 
Company  D's,  the  latter  company  extended  its  mast  a  few  feet  over  that 
of  its  neighboring  barrack.  This  ambition  to  excel  exhibits  itself  in  a 
variety  of  ways.  Some  of  the  barracks  are  prettily  lighted  with  lanterns, 
and  in  one  or  two  of  them  the  bunks  are  lettered  and  ornamented  in  a 
very  artistic  manner.  Afterwards  Captain  Spencer  Richardson's  boys  se 
cured  the  tallest  pole  which  could  be  found  in  the  neighboring  woods,  and 
at  the  present  writing  their  flag  floats  the  highest.  The  barracks  occu 
pied  by  the  companies  of  Captain  Lombard,  Captain  Hunt,  and  Captain 
Kendall  also  have  creditable  displays  of  bunting,  and  contribute  to  give 
the  encampment  a  beautiful  and  animated  appearance.  .  .  . 

"  As  our  stay  at  Readville  protracts,  we  are  gathering  about  us  many  little 
comforts  and  luxuries  which  we  shall  probably  have  to  sacrifice  in  the 
event  of  a  sudden  retirement  before  an  enemy.  But  while  we  stay  here 
our  purpose  is  to  make  ourselves  extremely  comfortable  ;  and  in  this 
purpose  a  numerous  constituency  of  friends  are  lending  their  assistance 
in  the  way  of  hampers  and  baskets  and  bundles  of  fruit  and  other 
delicacies." 

A  very  pleasant  feeling  existed  between  the  officers  and  the 
rank  and  file,  which  was  manifested  by  the  presentation  to  the 
former  of  some  little  token  of  regard  from  the  men  in  their  com- 


28  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

mands.  Swords,  sashes,  and  belts  were  given  to  Captain  Sullivan 
of  Company  D;  Captain  Spencer  W.  Richardson  of  Company 
E;  Horace  S.  Stebbins,  Orderly  Sergeant  of  Company  F;  Frank 
W.  Hatch,  Orderly  Sergeant  of  Company  G ;  George  L.  Tripp, 
Orderly  Sergeant  of  Company  D ;  Clarence  Sumner,  Orderly 
Sergeant  of  Company  I ;  Charles  A.  Cunningham,  Orderly  Ser 
geant  of  Company  C  ;  Eben  R.  Buck,  Orderly  Sergeant  of  Com 
pany  B  ;  Albert  W.  Edmands,  Orderly  Sergeant  of  Company  A ; 
and  Captain  F.  W.  Reynolds  of  Company  K.  Lieutenants  Blake 
and  Stebbins,  of  Company  D,  were  presented  with  shoulder- 
straps,  and  Captain  James  M.  Richardson,  of  Company  A,  with  a 
very  handsome  meerschaum  pipe.  "  Uncle  "  Dan  Simpson  was 
not  forgotten,  the  boys  of  Company  C  giving  him  a  gayly  deco 
rated  Turkish  fez. 

Nothing  produces  more  pleasure  in  camp  than  music,  and  the 
Forty-fourth  Regiment  was  especially  fortunate  in  having  a  large 
number  of  singers  in  its  ranks.1  Scarcely  an  evening  passed 
during  our  whole  term  of  service  without  a  gathering  of  the  choir, 
and  the  performers  were  always  sure  of  a  sympathetic  and  appre 
ciative  audience.  Recognizing  how  pleasant  it  would  be  to  have 
the  words  and  music  of  our  accustomed  songs  in  some  conven 
ient  form  for  reference,  Mr.  Charles  White,  of  Milton,  father  of 
Lieutenant  White  of  Company  G  and  Orderly  White  of  Com 
pany  E,  kindly  offered  to  defray  the  expenses  of  such  a  publica 
tion  and  furnish  a  copy  to  each  member  of  the  regiment.  The 
compilation  was  made  by  Charley  Ewer  of  Company  D,  and  in 
addition  to  many  familiar  and  well-known  airs  the  book  con 
tained  some  original  songs  and  original  music 'furnished  by  our 
members.  The  "  Forty-fourth  Regimental  Song-Book  "  was  voted 
to  be  a  complete  success. 

When  we  went  to  Readville,  Colonel  Lee  was  placed  in  com 
mand  of  camp,  with  military  jurisdiction  over  a  territorial  radius 
of  one  mile.2  Although  neither  of  our  field  officers  believed  in 
the  principle  of  total  abstinence,  they  realized  the  evil  influence 


1  Two   of  the   original   members  of   the  Boylston  Club,  William  K.  Millar  and 
Augustus  Jacobs,  were  privates  in  Company  D. 

2  Special  order  No  739  issued  under  authority  of  General  Order  99  from  the  War 
Department.     The  appointment  dated  from  Aug.  26,  1862. 


ORGANIZATION,   AND   CAMP  AT   READVILLE.  29 

caused  by  undue  indulgence  in  intoxicating  drinks,  and  for  this 
reason,  as  well  as  to  set  an  example  to  the  men  under  their 
command,  they  mutually  resolved  not  to  taste  any  wine  or  ardent 
spirits  while  they  were  in  the  service  of  the  United  States,  except 
on  advice  of  the  surgeon,  —  a  resolution  to  which  they  scrupu 
lously  adhered.  Colonel  Lee  in  particular  felt  very  strongly 
about  this  matter,  and  waged  a  relentless  war  against  "  traffickers 
in  the  ardent"  who  attempted  to  establish  booths  near  our  camp. 
Quite  a  number  of  enterprising  speculators  engaged  in  the  busi 
ness  ;  but  the  confiscation  of  their  stock  in  trade,  and  frequently 
of  their  building  as  well,  caused  their  project  to  end  in  financial 
wreck. 

"  Corporal's"  letter  of  September  13  was  quite  "  gossipy,"  and 
touched  on  several  matters  of  interest  to  the  boys :  — 

"...  We  have  received  an  order  from  the  Comrriander-in-Chief  of 
all  the  forces  in  Massachusetts *  prohibiting  us  from  bathing  at  all  Chris 
tian  hours  of  the  day,  out  of  regard  to  the  sensitive  nerves  of  somebody. 
As  nobody  but  soldiers  live  near  the  ponds,  it  is  to  be  supposed  that  the 
order  was  promulgated  as  a  measure  of  consideration  of  the  naiads  and 
nymphs  habitant  hereabout.  We  heartily  wish  that  everybody  was  like 
Caesar's  wife. 

"The  'women  of  America,'  including  a  few  Boston  friends,  have  sent  us 
in  a  grand  lunch  of  Washington  pies,  coffee,  and  cold  meats.  Where 
these  dainties  went  to  is  a  profound  mystery  to  the  non-commissioned 
officers  and  privates,  but  it  is  doubtless  'all  right.' 

"  At  dress-parade  the  other  day  Miss  Josie  Gregg,  of  Boston,  through 
Colonel  Lee,  presented  us  an  elegant  flag,  and  the  gift  was  acknowledged 
by  three  cheers.  .  .  . 

"  Flag  competition  continues,  and  now  every  barrack  shows  its  bunting, 
that  of  Company  D  again  floating  the  highest.  Thursday  morning  Com 
pany  F's  flagstaff  presented  to  the  eyes  of  an  astonished  camp  the  same 
small  white  bifurcated  garment  which  had  previously  served  to  decorate 
the  interior  of  a  neighboring  barrack.  The  boys  are  bound  not  to  '  'have 
their  selves,'  as  Uncle  Sim  Wilbur  used  to  say.  We  now  hope,  however, 
for  better  things  for  our  company,  having  sent  the  sergeants  to  a  tent  by 

1  By  General  Order  44,  dated  September  3,  Brigadier-General  John  H.  Reed,  Quar 
termaster-General,  was  appointed  commandant  of  all  camps  of  rendezvous  in  the 
State.  By  special  order  790,  dated  September  9,  Brigadier-General  R.  A.  Peirce 
was  assigned  to  command  of  the  Readville  camp.  The  bathing  order  to  which 
"  Corporal  "  alludes  was  probably  issued  in  consequence  of  complaints  made  by  the 
officials  of  the  Boston  and  Providence  Railroad. 


3O  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

themselves,  and  conferred  the  responsibility  of  keeping  good  order  upon 
the  corporals. 

"  Captain  James  Richardson's  company  give  their  barrack  a  beautiful, 
almost  Oriental  appearance  at  evening  by  the  introduction  of  numerous 
Chinese  lanterns.  In  every  barrack  the  fine  arts  are  still  cultivated  in  the 
lettering  and  ornamentation  of  the  bunks.  One  is  labelled  '  Squirrel's 
Nest ; '  another,  '  Penguin's  Nest ;  '  another, '  Sleeping  Beauties  ; '  another, 
'  Damon  and  Pythias ; '  another,  '  Siamese  Twins.'  Some  graduates  of 
Tufts  College,  who  occupy  a  bunk  together,  inform  the  world  in  good 
classical  phrase  that  it  is  sweet  to  die  for  your  country.  They  may  well 
say  that,  if  living  in  the  barracks  at  Readville  be  dying  for  your  country. 
'  Corporal '  cannot  but  look  with  amazement  upon  these  classical  young 
patriots  elevated  upon  their  bunks  and  devouring  home  dainties  over  this 
conspicuous  motto,  —  '  Dulce  et  decorum  est  pro  Patria  mori ! '  .  .  . 

"  The  quarters  of  Company  G,  Captain  Hunt,  are  tastefully  ornamented 
with  evergreen,  and  are  much  admired  by  visitors ;  but  it  is  on  all  hands 
conce'ded  that  the  barrack  of  Company  D,  thanks  to  the  oversight  of  our 
admirable  Corporal  Waterman,  is  most  noticeable  for  its  complete  order 
and  neatness.  It  is  whispered  that  we  are  to  have  a  piano,  if  we  remain 
here  much  longer,  and  then,  with  such  singers  among  us  as  Charley 
Ewer,  from  the  Warren  Street  choir,  we  reckon  upon  very  good  times  in 
the  musical  line. 

"  Yesterday  was  a  great  day  with  the  men  of  the  Forty-fourth.  We  were 
mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States  by  companies.  The  event 
was  hailed  with  cheering  and  general  rejoicing ;  and  then  the  uniforms 
provided  by  Uncle  Sam  were  opened  for  inspection.  Many  members  of 
the  regiment  had  already  provided  themselves  with  garments  of  superior 
quality,  made  to  measure  ;  and  those  who  had  not  taken  this  precaution 
regretted  it  the  more  when  they  came  to  see  the  half-cotton,  shoddy, 
slouchy  stuff  sent  to  them  through  the  State  authorities.  Colonel  Lee, 
who  has  a  natural  abhorrence  of  shams  in  all  shapes,  advised  his  men  not 
to  draw  such  uniforms,  and  promised  to  assist  them  in  procuring  garments 
made  to  measure.  The  men  gladly  acted  upon  the  suggestion  of  the 
Colonel,  and  will  clothe  themselves,  not  less  as  a  matter  of  neatness  and 
taste  than  of  economy. 

"  Last  evening  the  barrack  of  Company  F,  Captain  Storrow,  was  the 
centre  of  much  attraction.  The  parents  of  the  artists  Cobb  were  present, 
and  the  delighted  spectators  of  a  country  breakdown  and  other  festive 
demonstrations.  Mrs.  Cobb  delivered  a  little  impromptu  poem,  and  Mr. 
Cobb  made  a  very  stirring  address,  both  of  which  were  vociferously 
applauded.  The  Cobb  brothers  sang  and  played  exquisitely,  and  the  occa 
sion  was  one  of  touching  interest.  .  .  . 

"  We  have  been  provided  with  muskets  for  guard  duty  only,  and  of 
course  have  much  work  to  perform  in  the  manual  of  arms  drill  before  we 


ORGANIZATION,   AND   CAMP  AT   READVILLE.  31 

shall  be  fit  to  take  the  field.  In  the  facings  we  have  made  commendable 
progress,  and  have  been  highly  complimented  by  Colonel  Lee  in  this 
respect. 

"  Since  the  Forty- fourth  went  into  barracks  they  have  been  favored  with 
the  services  of  the  Boston  Brass  Band,  under  the  lead  of  Mr.  Flagg.  It  is 
said  the  expense  is  to  be  defrayed  by  an  assessment  upon  the  regiment. 
Considering  that  the  mass  of  the  regiment  have  had  no  voice  in  the  selec 
tion  of  a  band,  a  number  of  persons  are  inclined  to  consider  this  a  little 
'  rough.'  What  '  Corporal '  and  many  others  wish  to  suggest  in  this  con 
nection  is,  that  a  few  of  our  rich  friends  in  Boston  unite  to  defray  the 
expense  of  a  good  band,  which  shall  accompany  us  to  the  seat  of  war.  It 
is  thought  they  would  be  pleased  to  confer  this  substantial  benefit  upon 
the  regiment,  and  thus  acknowledge  the  important  assistance  rendered  by 
the  Fourth  Battalion  of  Infantry  in  raising  the  quota  of  Boston.  Failing 
in  this,  a  set  of  instruments  would  be  gratefully  acknowledged,  and  an  ex 
cellent  band  would  then  be  recruited  from  the  regiment." 

In  his  letter  of  September  20,  he  says :  - 

"...  We  reasonably  expect  that  a  week  of  furloughs  will  be  succeeded 
by  work.  Some  of  our  little  captains  are  threatening  us  hard.  More  drill 
and  less  guard  duty  will  not  be  unacceptable  to  the  poor  fellows  whose 
duty  as  sentinels  for  the  past  week  has  only  been  relieved  by  the  relaxation 
of  police  guard  work  or  scavenger  service.  Bootless  has  been  the  plea,  '  I 
was  on  guard  yesterday,  and  police  guard  the  day  before.'  The  orderly 
knew  it.  There  was  no  help  for  it.  It  costs  hard  work,  but  we  have  the 
cleanest  camp  in  Christendom,  if  we  may  believe  visitors.  Captain 
McLaughlin,  our  mustering-in  officer,  was  profuse  in  his  commendations 
of  the  Forty-fourth.  It  was,  he  said,  the  most  orderly  and  the  cleanest 
regiment  he  ever  mustered  in.  The  company  rolls  were  the  neatest 
which  had  ever  come  under  his  inspection,  and  the  number  of  ab 
sentees  (one  sick  and  one  unavoidably  absent)  the  smallest  in  his  experi 
ence.  We  do  not  wish  to  be  always  elevating  our  horn,  but  we  must 
record  history." 

One  compliment  attributed  to  Captain  McLaughlin,  "  Cor 
poral  "  neglects  to  mention.  He  is  reported  to  have  said  that 
although  he  had  been  detailed  as  mustering  officer  since  the  out 
break  of  the  war,  he  never  before  had  mustered  in  a  whole  regi 
ment  on  the  same  day.  A  rather  critical  examination  of  the 
"  Record  of  the  Massachusetts  Volunteers,"  issued  by  authority 
of  the  State,  seems  to  prove  this  statement,  except  so  far  as  it 
might  refer  to  a  few  of  the  three  months'  regiments,  to  be 
correct. 


32  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

"  Since  my  last  letter  there  have  been  added  to  the  list  of  decorated 
barracks  those  of  Company  B,  Captain  Griswold,  and  Company  A,  Captain 
Richardson.  Company  D  has  introduced  Chinese  lanterns,  small  flags, 
and  the  arms  of  the  New  England  Guards,  neatly  painted  by  one  of  our 
numerous  artists,  to  wit,  Fred.  Sayer,  the  lingual  prodigy  and  pet  of  his 
corps.  .  .  . 

"  A  large  proportion  of  the  regiment  is  now  uniformed  in  neatly  fitting 
suits,  having  no  relationship  to  the  contractor's  shoddy  which  was  attempted 
to  be  foisted  upon  us.  Our  appearance  at  the  dress-parades  is  creditable, 
and  every  pleasant  afternoon  crowds  of  spectators  honor  us  with  their 
presence.  The  number  of  pretty  girls  that  adorn  these  occasions,  coming 


as  they  do  laden  with  offerings  of  fruit  and  flowers  for  their  favorites,  is 
by  no  means  the  least  interesting  feature  of  the  afternoon  displays.  The 
angels  even  besiege  us  in  our  barracks,  and  although  we  are  delighted  to 
see  them,  they  seem  sometimes  to  forget  that  we  have  no  retiring  rooms, 
and  that  we  must  perforce  make  our  toilets  in  our  bunks,  or  not  make 
them  at  all.  '  Corporal '  wants  it  distinctly  understood  that  he  don't  care 
anything  about  this,  personally.  He  speaks  for  the  modest  man  of  his 
company.  .  .  . 

'•'  Your  correspondent  could  expatiate  by  the  half  column  of  the  social 
fascinations  of  this  life  in  barracks ;  of  the  genial  friendships  formed ;  of 


ORGANIZATION,   AND   CAMP   AT   READVILLE.  33 

the  glorious  hearts  discovered  ;  of  the  roaring  wit  brought  out  by  this  free- 
and-easy  companionship ;  of  the  freedom  from  conventional  restraints  and 
the  care  of  every-day  pursuits.  Do  not,  dear  reader,  think  us  too  jolly 
and  comfortable  for  soldiers,  but  rather  thank  Heaven  for  the  sunny  side 
and  recompense  of  military  life,  which,  perhaps,  after  all,  has  very  feebly 
offset  the  shadows  through  which  lies  the  pathway  of  him  who  takes  up 
arms  in  defence  of  liberty,  imperilled  as  it  is  to-day." 

The  crowds  of  visitors  which  thronged  our  camp  attested  our 
popularity.  If  our  friends  enjoyed  coming  to  Readville,  it  is 
equally  certain  that  we  enjoyed  receiving  them.  Many  a  suscep 
tible  young  soldier  lost  his  heart  during  those  delightful  moon 
light  promenades,  and  an  interesting  chapter  might  be  written  on 
this  subject,  could  the  number  of  matrimonial  engagements  which 
resulted  from  these  mild  flirtations  be  correctly  ascertained. 
J.  J.  Wyeth,  in  his  sketch  of  Company  E,  says,  under  date  of 
September  12 :  - 

"...  As  this  was  probably  the  young  ladies'  last  visit  before  our  start 
for  the  South,  we  demanded  and  received  our  last  good-by  kisses ;  but 
when  they  saw  the  same  boys  falling  in  the  second  time,  and  some  of  them 
strangers,  they  scattered  like  a  drove  of  sheep  over  the  fences  and  far 
away  to  the  station.  I  think  that  was  the  last  effort  the  company  made 
(as  an  organization)  to  kiss  them  all  a  good-by." 

For  some  time  previous  to  the  formation  of  our  regiment  a 
pleasant  little  coterie  of  young  ladies  and  gentlemen  had  existed 
in  Cambridge,  and  there  were  but  few  evenings  when  they  did 
not  meet  at  a  party,  the  theatre,  or  some  similar  entertainment. 
Most  of  the  gentlemen  enlisted  in  our  regiment.  The  young 
ladies  were  so  incensed  at  those  who  did  not,  that  they  resolved 
unanimously  not  to  attend  a  party  or  a  place  of  amusement  dur 
ing  the  absence  of  the'  Forty-fourth,  and  this  resolution  was  most 
faithfully  kept.  Will  not  all  our  young  lady  friends  agree  that 
these  Cambridge  girls  displayed  as  much  self-sacrifice  as  if  they 
had  "  donned  the  blue "  and  "  shouldered  the  musket,"  even  if 
the  service  were  not  quite  so  perilous? 

In  "  Corporal's  "  letter  of  September  27  he  again  refers  to  the 
unwelcome  practice  of  early  rising:  — 

"...  The  most  unmusical  of  sounds  is  the  reveille  at  five  o'clock  A.  M. 
Even  the  freshness  and  magnificence  of  those  star-gemmed  mornings 

3 


34  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

scarcely  compensate  us  for  this  ghostly  hour  of  turning  out.  But  now  we 
are  threatened  with  calls  among  the  small  hours  for  the  purpose  of  prepar 
ing  us  for  surprises  in  the  enemy's  country.  We  would  gladly  excuse  our 
officers  from  this  laborious  work  in  our  behalf.  In  fact,  we  shall  not  be 
less  grateful  to  them  if  they  do  not  carry  the  plan  into  execution.  Besides, 
midnight  movements  like  these  might  excite  the  suspicion  of  our  ubi 
quitous  provost  guard,  and  result  in  getting  the  whole  regiment  into  limbo. 
We  could  not  even  visit  our  neighbors  of  the  other  regiments,  last  Sunday, 
without  falling  into  the  hands  of  those  merciless  Philistines,  who  go  about 
the  country  like  roaring  lions  seeking  whom  they  may  devour." 

He  also  speaks  of  our  double-quick  marches  and  of  the  new 
sanitary  discipline  which  our  surgeon  had  introduced :  — 

"  Companies  E  and  D  have  been  making  double-quick  marches  to  Ded- 
ham  Village  by  the  three-mile  route.  An  uninterrupted  run  of  three  miles 
is  something  incredible  to  the  uninitiated.  '  Corporal '  and  five  others 
confess,  with  proper  self-abasement,  that  the  last  mile  was  rather  too  much 
for  them,  especially  as  your  correspondent  was  tortured  by  a  pair  of  new 
boots.  We  fell  out.  ...  A  little  while  before  dinner  a  small,  'awkward 
squad  '  (the  six  men  mentioned)  might  have  been  seen  descending  the 
railroad  embankment  near  Camp  Meigs,  and  then  proceeding  by  the  right 
and  left  flanks  until  it  safely  passed  the  lines.  The  main  party  had  not 
arrived,  and  we  confidently  reported  them  in  the  hands  of  the  provost. 
On  the  contrary,  as  we  learned  upon  their  arrival,  they  had  been  detained 
by  a  number  of  beautiful  Samaritans  habitant  along  the  road,  who  came 
out  laden  with  smiles  and  kind  words.  Several  fellows  came  back  to 
camp  with  hearts  and  pedal  extremities  equally  damaged. 

"  Our  rifles  have  been  distributed  at  last,  and  we  have  commenced 
drilling  with  great  industry.  .  .  . 

"  On  Thursday  we  had  a  grand  cleaning  out  of  barracks.  Everything 
was  removed  from  them,  and  exposed  to  the  air  and  sunshine.  Most  of 
the  regiment  being  absent  on  escort  duty,  the  task  devolved  upon  a  few. 
It  was  a  work  of  vandalism.  Cherished  shelves,  pictures,  flags,  and 
flowers  came  down  at  one  fell  swoop.  The  personal  effects  of  absentees 
were  tumbled  down  and  bestowed  in  promiscuous  piles  into  the  bunks, 
and  then  carried  outside.  They  comprised  a  heterogeneous  collection  of 
valuables,  like  pats  of  butter,  soap,  packs  of  cards  and  Testaments,  tooth 
brushes  and  cutlery,  spare  clothing  and  baskets,  haversacks,  havelocks, 
night-caps  and  smoking-caps,  pipes,  tobacco  and  matches,  now  and  then 
a  bottle,  and  one  umbrella.  Having  the  example  before  them  of  the  army 
in  Flanders,  the  absentees  of  the  Forty-fourth  swore  when  they  came  back 
and  witnessed  the  '  improvements  '  which  had  been  made  while  they  were 
away. 


ORGANIZATION,   AND   CAMP  AT   READVILLE.  35 

"  We  have  occasional  evening  entertainments  here  in  the  shape  of 
ground-and-lofty  tumbling  (en  costume)  and  sparring  matches.  Between 
our  hours  of  drill,  camp  duties,  reception  of  visitors,  music,  letter-writing, 
etc.,  there  is  no  possibility  of  time  dragging  upon  our  hands.  Now 
visitors  are  restricted  to  the  hours  between  half-past  four  and  half-past 
eight  P.  M.  .  .  . 

"  Our  Surgeon,  Dr.  Ware,  of  Boston,  is  drawing  a  tight  rein  over  the 
regiment.  His  experience  upon  the  Peninsula  has  given  him  notions  of 
sanitary  discipline  which  some  think  too  severe  for  soldiers  in  barracks  at 
home.  He  has  stripped  our  quarters  of  everything  but  prime  necessaries, 
and  we  are  reduced  to  a  very  bald  condition  indeed.  We  shall  probably 
see  the  wisdom  of  this  severity  more  clearly  by  and  by.  At  present  a 
majority  of  the  boys  don't  see  it  at  all.  Thursday  night  we  tried  the 
experiment  of  sleeping  without  straw  in  our  bunks.  It  did  n't  work,  and 
now  we  propose  to  provide  ourselves  with  canvas  bags  to  keep  the  straw 
in  place,  and  thus  avoid  the  continual  nuisance  of  straw  litter  inside 
and  out. 

"  On  Thursday  detachments  from  six  companies  of  our  regiment  acted 
as  escort  at  the  funeral  of  the  late  Lieutenant-Colonel  Dvvight.  Consider 
ing  the  short  time  of  our  practice  in  the  manual  of  arms,  the  regiment  was 
awarded  the  credit  of  great  proficiency,  particularly  in  the  firing  of  volleys. 
Colonel  Stevenson  paid  the  regiment  the  highest  compliment." 

The  marches  we  took  proved  of  great  benefit  in  toughening 
us  for  active  service,  and  the  comparatively  small  percentage  of 
straggling  shown  by  our  regiment  when  actually  in  the  field 
demonstrated  conclusively  the  wisdom  of  our  colonel  in  adopting 
this  plan.  The  sanitary  regulations  introduced,  although  griev 
ous  to  bear  at  the  time,  we  afterwards  acknowledged  to  be  wise 
and  beneficial. 

"  Corporal's  "  letter  of  October  4  gives  an  account  of  two  of 
these  marches :  — 

"The  past  week  Colonel  Lee  has  wisely  varied  our  drill  by  taking  the 
regiment  on  marches  through  portions  of  the  country  surrounding  Camp 
Meigs.  Our  first  of  these  marches,  after  escort  duty  at  the  funeral  of  the 
late  Lieutenant-Colonel  Dwight,  was  through  that  portion  of  Milton  of 
which  we  have  such  delightful  glimpses  from  camp.  We  were  forced  to 
breathe  dust  freely,  but  through  the  clouds  which  rose  wherever  the  regi 
ment  moved  we  caught  refreshing  views  of  stately  homesteads,  blushing 
orchards,  and  autumn-tinted  landscapes.  .  .  .  Since  the  march  to  Milton 
we  have  surprised  the  good  people  of  Mill  Village  and  round  about  Ded- 
ham  Court-House  by  a  sudden  appearance  in  their  midst.  For  the 


36  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

gratification  of  our  many  friends  who  are  anxiously  watching  the  progress 
of  this  regiment,  I  have  to  report  that  our  marching  extorted  great  praise 
from  Colonel  Lee,  who,  by  the  way,  is  quite  as  prompt  to  give  us  a  sound 
blowing-up  as  he  is  to  compliment.  In  point  of  fact,  he  does  neither  by 
halves.  His  outspoken  frankness  and  generosity  are  creating  him  hosts  of 
warm  friends  in  the  regiment.  .  .  . 

"  We  received  marching  orders  last  Thursday,1  and  are  going  to  New 
Berne,  N.  C.,  as  soon  as  a  transport  vessel  can  be  got  in  readiness.  At 
New  Berne  it  is  expected  we  shall  be  brigaded  under  General  (now 
Colonel)  Stevenson.  This  will  be  gratifying  to  the  regiment.  .  .  . 

"  Our  indefatigable  surgeon  is  organizing  and  training  a  corps  of  assist 
ants  who  are  to  lend  their  aid  to  the  wounded  upon  the  field  of  battle. 
The  training  consists  of  binding  up  imaginary  wounds,  pointing  out  the 
position  of  arteries,  showing  how  to  handle  fractured  limbs,  placing  men 
upon  litters,  and  showing  how  to  carry  them  with  the  least  possible  dis 
turbance  of  the  wounded  parts." 

In  the  same  letter  he  mentions  the  fact  that  Mr.  Steffen,  for 
merly  instructor  of  the  Massachusetts  Rifle  Club,  was  delivering 
a  series  of  military  lessons  to  our  commissioned  officers. 

In  his  letter  of  October  1 1  he  makes  mention  of  a  march  over 
Brush  Hill  Turnpike  :  — 

"...  On  Thursday  we  were  treated  to  a  magnificent  march  over 
Brush  Hill,  —  our  first  brush.  .  .  .  Our  march,  which  included  a  distance 
of  fourteen  miles,  was,  considering  the  state  of  the  atmosphere,  the 
severest  of  our  experience  ;  but  it  was  cheered  by  the  smiles  and  waving 
handkerchiefs  of  beautiful  women  in  windows,  gateways,  balconies,  and 
groves,  and  by  their  more  substantial  favors  in  the  shape  of  apples,  pears, 
and  cool  water.  The  few  men  who  fell  out  of  the  ranks  from  faintness  and 
exhaustion  were  of  the  reputed  tougher  sort,  —  men  of  outdoor  life  and 
pursuits.  Your  professional  men  and  clerks,  clean-limbed  and  elastic,  are 
the  men  to  endure  hardships,  all  the  talk  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 
This,  I  believe,  was  the  observation  of  the  '  Little  Corporal.' 

"  Among  the  late  testimonials  in  the  Forty-fourth  deserving  of  mention 
is  the  presentation  of  a  knife,  fork,  and  spoon,  in  a  neat  case,  to  each  of 
the  recruits  from  Framingham  by  their  friends  in  that  town.  .  .  . 

"  Your  correspondent,  and  the  other  members  of  Company  D,  are 
indebted  to  Corporal  Gardner  for  the  introduction  of  a  company  dog,  — 
Romeo,  a  promising  fellow,  whose  laughing  countenance  and  waving  tail 
and  general  intelligence  have  already  won  him  a  host  of  friends.  Several 

1  Special  Order  1007,  dated  Oct.  2,  1862. 


ORGANIZATION,   AND    CAMP  AT   READVILLE.  37 

of  the  boys  are  industriously  laboring  to  reconcile  him  to  the  society  of  a 
cat  which  has  come  to  our  barrack. 

"  Mr.  Burrage,  of  the  firm  of  J.  M.  Beebe  &  Co.,  has  presented  to  each 
member  of  Company  C,  Captain  Lombard,  one  of  Short's  patent  box 
knapsacks.  If  they  can  be  manufactured  in  season  to  supply  us  before 
our  departure  South,  the  other  members  of  the  regiment  will  probably 
supply  themselves  with  this  knapsack  at  their  own  expense,  which  will 
amount  to  $2.50  per  man.  This  knapsack  is  so  adjusted  to  the  shoulders 
as  to  be  carried  with  much  greater  ease  than  the  Government  article." 

Unfortunately,  an  order  promulgated  from  headquarters  sent 
"  Romeo  "  out  of  camp  and  "Juliet,"  in  despair,  followed  the  ex 
ample  of  her  illustrious  namesake ;  at  least  it  was  so  supposed, 
as  pussy  died  very  suddenly  the  day  following  Romeo's  depart 
ure.  One  of  the  members  of  Company  D  was  accused  of  mur 
dering  her,  tried  by  court-martial,  and  convicted ;  but  the 
evidence  against  the  alleged  culprit  was  far  from  conclusive. 

After  the  muskets  were  given  out  to  the  guard,  the  officers 
took  great  pains  to  teach  the  men  the  duties  of  a  sentry.  Fre 
quently  they  were  so  much  interested  that  they  induced  the 
sentinel  to  loan  them  his  musket  while  they  practically  demon 
strated  how  it  should  be  handled.  Many  of  our  boys  will  recall 
the  consternation  they  felt  when  they  realized  that  they  had  been 
disarmed  and  their  gun  was  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  Some 
of  them  found  it  difficult  to  remember  the  formula  for  challenge 
and  answer,  or  for  calling  the  corporal  of  the  guard  as  prescribed 
in  the  Army  Regulations,  and  the  cry  of  "  Corporal  of  the  Guard, 
Post  Nagle,"  was  one  familiar  to  us  all. 

In  the  last  weekly  letter  from  "  Corporal "  previous  to  the 
departure  of  the  regiment,  dated  October  18,  he  speaks  of  the 
similarity  in  some  respects  between  the  life  of  a  soldier  and  that 
of  a  convict,  and  refers  to  several  donations  which  had  been 
made  to  many  of  the  companies :  — 

"The  close  resemblance  between  the  life  of  a  soldier  in  barrack  and 
that  of  a  State  Prison  convict,  regarded  in  certain  outward  aspects,  affords 
mingled  amusement  and  disgust.  We  go  for  our  rations  in  single  file,  and 
with  tin  mugs  and  plates.  The  intercourse  between  officers  and  subor 
dinates  is  scarcely  less  reserved,  and  the  punishment  for  small  offences 
scarcely  less  severe  with  the  soldier  than  with  the  prisoner.  On  inspec 
tion  days  we  stand  up  like  well-burnished  automata,  and  are  as  sensitive  to 


38  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

praise  or  censure  regarding  the  condition  of  our  quarters,  guns,  etc.,  as  so 
many  children.  At  our  meals  and  in  our  bunks  we  are  stared  at  by  visit 
ors  just  as  I  remember  to  have  stared  at  the  happy  family  of  '  Hon. 
Gideon  Haynes '  at  Charlestown  on  various  occasions.  When  impelled 
by  '  sanitary  reasons,'  our  keen-eyed  surgeons  pass  through  the  barracks  to 
see  that  nothing  contraband  nestles  in  the  bunks,  that  the  blankets  and 
overcoats  are  accurately  folded,  and  that  only  a  certain  amount  of  cloth 
ing  and  baggage  per  man  is  retained  ;  we  stand  about  and  gaze  at  them 
just  as  your  readers  will  remember  they  were  gazed  at  by  the  inmates  of 
the  House  of  Correction  which  they  visited  not  long  ago.  .  .  . 

"  More  princely  donations  have  been  made  to  some  of  the  companies  of 
the  Forty-fourth  Regiment.  To  Company  E,  Captain  Richardson,  William 
Cumston,  Esq.  (father  of  Lieutenant  Cumston) ,  of  the  firm  of  Hallett  & 
Cumston,  has  presented  a  check  for  five  hundred  dollars. 

"  To  the  same  company  donations  amounting  to  three  hundred  dollars, 
for  the  purchase  of  the  improved  knapsack,  have  been  made  by  the  follow 
ing  gentlemen  :  J.  M.  Beebe  &  Co. ;  F.  Skinner  &  Co. ;  Alexander  Beal ; 
C.  W.  Cartwright ;  W.  P.  Sargent ;  J.  R.  Tibbets  ;  Read,  Gardner,  &  Co.  ; 
Wilkinson.  Stetson,  cS;  Co.  ;  J.  C.  Converse  &  Co. ;  E.  cSc  F.  King  &  Co. ; 
Horatio  Harris  ;  Gorham  Rogers. 

"  To  Company  H,  Captain  Smith,  C.  F.  Hovey  &  Co.  have  presented  a 
full  set  of  the  patent  knapsacks.  Company  K,  Captain  Reynolds,  have 
been  favored  in  the  same  way  by  a  number  of  friends  of  that  company. 
.  .  .  Company  F,  Captain  Storrow,  have  received  the  present  of  a  set  of 
patent  knapsacks.  The  generous  donor  is  too  modest  to  let  his  name  be 
known,  but  it  is  surmised  that  a  young  corporal  of  Company  F  knows  all 
about  it. 

"  The  wife  of  Colonel  Lee  has  kindly  remembered  each  soldier  of  the 
regiment  by  the  gift  of  a  little  testimonial  card,  upon  one  side  of  which  is 
printed  the  Old  Hundredth  Psalm,  and  upon  the  other  the  name  of  the 
recipient  written  in  a  neat  hand.  .  .  . 

"  We  have  had  a  good  share  of  dismal  weather  the  past  week,  and  have 
not  been  allowed  the  consolation  of  smoking  in  the  barracks ;  but  the 
boys  have  managed  to  keep  the  blue  devils  at  bay  with  mock  parades  and 
shows  of  great  effectiveness.  One  day  the  camp  was  electrified  by  the 
appearance  of  an  exceedingly  well  got-up  elephant,  not  unprovided  with 
a  tail,  and  waving  a  trunk  of  twisted  shoddy.  Another  day  we  were 
visited  by  citizens  of  Brobdingang,  ten  feet  high  in  their  stockings." 

The  expenses  of  our  regiment  while  recruiting  and  in  camp 
were  about  $6,200,  of  which  nearly  $3,000  was  paid  for  music. 
This  amount  came  from  the  regimental  fund,  of  which  William 
Gray,  Jr.,  was  treasurer,  —  a  fund  raised  by  contribution,  the  city 


ORGANIZATION,   AND    CAMP   AT   REAUVILLE.  39 

giving  $3,ooo1  and  the  rest  being  donated  by  individuals.  Most 
of  the  companies  were  presented  with  Short's  knapsacks  by 
their  friends,  and  those  companies  which  were  not  so  fortunate 
were  supplied  at  the  expense  of  the  regimental  fund.  The  corre 
spondence  with  the  state  officials  and  the  War  Department  arising 
from  the  endeavor  to  have  this  style  of  knapsack  supplied  by  the 
Government  is  rather  unique  and  decidedly  interesting.  The  let 
ter  from  "  Corporal "  last  referred  to  concludes  by  saying:  — 

"  We  now  expect  to  remain  at  Readville  till  the  close  of  the  war,  except 
in  case  Readville  is  invaded  by  the  enemy,  when  we  shall  make  a  masterly 
retreat  to  Mill  Village." 

Alas  for  the  claims  of  "  Corporal"  as  a  prophet!  Three  days 
after  this  letter  was  printed  we  had  orders  to  pack,  and  on  the 
fourth  day,  Thursday,  October  23,  we  bade  good-by  to  our  bar 
racks  and  the  friends  who  had  been  so  much  interested  in  our 
progress. 

1  August  18  it  was  ordered,  "That  the  committee  ...  be  authorized  to  pay  out  of 
said  appropriation,  to  each  of  the  four  regiments  .  .  .  such  a  sum  as  they  may  deem 
expedient,  for  a  regimental  fund." 


CHAPTER   III. 


VOYAGE  TO   NEW   BERNE. 


'ADAM  RUMOR,  who  at  Read- 
ville  had  no  better  reputation 
for  veracity  than  the  "  intel 
ligent  contraband,"  had  so 
many  times  announced  our 
departure  for  this  or  that 
dangerous  point  at  the 
South,  that  when  the  order 
finally  formulated  into  the 
fact  that  we  must  go,  we 
could  hardly  realize  it  until 
we  found  ourselves,  early  in 
the  morning  of  October  22,  under  the  weight  of  knapsacks,  idly 
waiting  in  line  to  be  escorted  to  the  station.  Standing  there,  now 
hitching  up  one  strap,  then  unbuckling  another  that  had  not  got 
accustomed  to  its  place  upon  us,  with  our  backs  well  piled  with 
many  things  soon  to  be  thrown  away,  we  looked  across  the  fields, 
where  in  awkward  squads  we  had  strayed  to  the  larger  camp,  that 
was  alive  with  the  bustle  and  noise  of  a  recruiting  headquarters ; 
thence  beyond  the  meadows  to  the  beautiful  Blue  Hills,  covered 
by  the  many-tinted  colors  of  autumn ;  and  the  query  must  have 
come  to  all,  How  many  of  this  one  thousand  will  be  present  at 
the  return  to  answer  "Here"?  There  was  no  voice  to  that 
thought  as  up  and  down  the  lines  came  nothing  but  the  cheerful 
voices  of  the  men,  bantering  one  another,  bidding  their  old 
quarters,  even  to  the  familiar  boards  upon  which  they  had  lain, 
good-by,  with  almost  tearful  fondness. 

"  Attention,  company  !  "     "  Shoulder  arms  !  "     The  men  stood 
steady  in  their  ranks,  we  jauntily  marched  after  the  band,  gave 


42  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

hearty  cheers  to  the  escort  and  all  blue-coats  and  friends  at  the 
station,  and  went  Bostonwards  on  the  cars  to  meet  friends  there. 

The  history  of  old  Readville  camp  should  be  written  to  present 
the  picture  of  the  bright  and  eager-hearted  youths  who  gathered 
around  its  camps,  and  after  the  preparatory  lessons  there  received 
went  marching  away,  thousands  after  thousands,  the  flower  of 
our  generation,  with  no  thought  but  of  duty  to  a  country  which 
was  worthy  of  the  sacrifices  these  young  boys  made. 

It  was  more  than  an  ordinary  soldier  departure  day  when  we 
marched  through  Boston.  Three  regiments,  made  up,  for  the 
larger  part,  of  men  from  the  city  and  its  immediate  vicinity, 
were  going. 

As  we  marched  up  Boylston  Street  the  town  seemed  alive  with 
people  to  bid  us  God-speed.  The  escort,  composed  of  gentle 
men  whose  every  action  bespoke  &  desire  to  go  with  us  in  our 
Southern  pilgrimage ;  the  blessings  and  cheers  that  were  show 
ered  upon  us  by  the  thousand  of  ladies  whose  friends  were  of  us, 
or  of  others  who  had  gone  before  ;  the  hearty  hand-shake  of  some 
old  gentleman  who  broke  into  the  ranks  with,  "God  bless  you, 
boys,  my  Tom  is  just  dead  at  Antietam ! "  still  remain  as  vivid 
pictures.  Forgotten  then  were  all  distinctions  of  rank,  whether 
he  who  marched  bore  an  eagle,  or  but  the  blue  on  his  shoulders ; 
whether  he  had  no  one  who  knew  him  but  the  old  lady  in  black, 
who  hung  to  his  neck  and  had  nothing  to  bestow  but  a  blessing, 
or  whether  some  elegant  home  opened  its  doors  to  bid  their 
soldier-boy  good-by.  As  the  Boston  "Journal,"  speaking  of 
this  reception,  says:  "Notwithstanding  the  strenuous  efforts 
of  the  guard  and  police  to  keep  the  Common  clear  of  almost 
everything  that  did  n't  wear  a  uniform,  many  of  the  ladies  could 
not  be  resisted,  and  soon  they  were  seen  freely  and  happily  min 
gling  with  their  friends  in  the  Forty-fourth,  determined  to  enjoy 
their  society  until  the  last  moment."  The  flurry  of  rain  that 
occurred  on  the  Common,  which  drove  some  of  the  spectators 
away;  the  march  up  past  the  State  House,  down  State  Street, 
with  the  ringing  cheers  of  the  crowd  of  men  who  gathered  as 
by  magic  from  every  quarter,  are  scenes  that  will  ever  remain 
as  pictures  the  details  of  which  we  can  through  our  memory 
fill  in. 


VOYAGE   TO   NEW   BERNE.  43 

When  we  took  our  departure,  the  time  had  come  for  steady, 
concentrated  work  in  the  war.  In  April,  1861,  we  had  heard  the 
mad  scream  of  excited  people  rushing  after  the  first  soldiery  that 
went  their  way ;  and  when  the  first  three-years  regiments  marched 
past  the  old  State  House,  you  could  see  old  men  follow  their 
dipping  banners  with  the  tears  of  patriotism,  and  hear  half- 
exclaimed  prayers  of  sobbing  women.  The  lumbermen  of  Maine, 
the  stanch  regiments  of  New  Hampshire,  had  had  their  day ;  but 
when  the  tide  of  war  had  reached  October,  1862,  Antietam  had 
been  fought.  The  streets  were  filled  with  wounded  men.  The 
war  had  permeated  into  every  relation  of  life ;  and  the  good-by 
that  we  got  was  from  a  people  who  knew  then  what  all  this  sacri 
fice  meant.  The  Boston  "Traveller"  of  October  22,  gives  this 
account: — 

THE   FORTY-FOURTH   REGIMENT. 

This  splendid  corps  left  their  camp  at  Readville  at  a  little  after  10 
o'clock  this  morning,  reaching  the  Providence  Railroad  depot  at  about  n. 
The  regiment  was  under  arms  as  early  as  8  o'clock,  and  on  reaching  the 
depot  were  honored  with  a  salute  from  the  Cadet  Regiment,  which  was 
drawn  up  in  line  and  gave  nine  rousing  cheers,  which  were  returned  with 
interest,  making  a  most  enthusiastic  parting.  The  Forty-second  cheered 
them  vociferously,  also,  when  they  were  passing  their  camp. 

There  were  other  parting  ceremonies  last  evening  at  camp,  when  at  the 
dress  parade  the  regiment  was  formed  in  a  hollow  square  and  the  chap 
lain,  Rev.  Mr.  Hall,  offered  prayer.  The  band  played  an  appropriate  air, 
and  Colonel  Lee  then  called  for  cheers  for  the  old  Commonwealth,  and 
for  the  dear  ones  they  were  to  leave  behind  them.  The  regiment  re 
sponded  heartily,  and  then  gave  nine  cheers  for  their  commander.  The 
colonel  replied  to  the  compliment  in  a  brief  but  feeling  manner. 

After  arriving  in  Boston  this  noon  the  regiment  formed  on  Boylston 
Street,  and  marched  upon  the  Common,  where  the  New  England  Guard 
Reserve  Corps  and  past  members  were  in  line  and  presented  arms.  The 
regiment  was  drawn  up  on  the  Charles  Street  mall,  and  grounded  arms,  and 
about  an  hour  was  allowed  for  the  hosts  of  friends  present  to  say  their 
farewells. 

Thousands  of  people  were  on  the  Common,  and  lined  the  route  of 
march  on  Beacon,  Park,  Tremont,  Court,  State,  and  Commercial  Streets. 
State  Street,  down  which  the  corps  passed  at  one  o'clock,  was  crowded 
with  spectators. 

The  line  was  formed  as  follows  :  — 

Platoon  of  sixteen  police  under  Sergeant  Dunn. 


44  FORTY-FOURTH   iMASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

The  full  Gilmore  Band. 

Reserve  corps  and  past  members  of  the  New  England  Guard,  under 
Major  J.  Putnam  Bradlee  and  Captains  J.  L.  Henshaw,  Thomas  Chick- 
ering,  J.  M.  Howe,  and  Sewall  H.  Fessenden. 

The  Guards  escorted  a  number  of  past  members  and  officers,  including 
Hon.  J.  T.  Stevenson,  S.  H.  Gookin,  and  other  gentlemen. 

They  numbered  a  hundred  bayonets  and  were  in  citizens'  dress. 

The  regiment,  1010  strong,  with  Flagg's  brass  band  in  the  centre  of  its 
right  wing. 

On  their  way  to  Boston  in  the  cars  there  were  frequent  groups  of  people 
on  the  road  who  cheered  heartily,  and  at  Roxbury  an  artillery  salute  was 
fired. 

The  regiment  is  in  splendid  condition ;  on  the  Common,  at  the  salute 
by  the  Reserve  New  England  Guards,  while  the  Gilmore  Band  played 
"  Auld  Lang  Syne,"  the  soldiers  wheeled  into  column  of  platoons  and 
moved  by  with  the  steadiness  of  veterans,  showing  the  interest  they  have 
taken  in  securing  a  high  degree  of  skill  in  manoeuvring. 

The  corps  is  armed  with  Enfield  rifles  captured  from  an  English 
steamer,  and  their  belts,  bayonet-sheaths,  and  cap-pouches  were  similarly 
obtained. 

The  hank  of  the  belt  is  a  snake  of  brass,  —  so  emblematic  of  the  vileness 
of  the  Rebel  cause.  Probably  the  shippers  little  imagined  they  would  be 
used  against  the  Rebels. 

After  we  reached  the  wharf  it  was  but  a  short  time  before  we 
found  our  places  on  either  the  steamer  "  Mississippi "  or  the 
"  Merrimac,"  and  amidst  the  cheers  of  the  thousands  who  had 
followed  to  the  water  side  we  slowly  steamed  to  anchorage  for 
the  night. 

The  change  that  we  had  been  doting  on  had  come ;  we  were 
now  to  learn  some  of  the  tribulations  of  a  soldier's  life,  and  to 
find  that  his  experience  on  board  a  transport  is  not  altogether 
calculated  to  make  him  "  wish  that  he  had  come."  He  found  his 
bunk  in  the  hold ;  and  just  as  he  was  finding  his,  he  found  several 
hundred  others,  just  as  intent,  employed  in  that  occupation.  A 
place  that  he  thought  too  small  for  his  sister's  poodle  was  to  be 
used  for  three  other  strapping  fellows  besides  himself.  Meantime, 
the  fact  that  there  was  such  a  thing  as  bilge-water,  and  that  sol 
diers  no  cleaner  than  they  ought  to  be  had  occupied  this  place 
before,  presented  themselves  vividly  to  his  sense.  He  remarked 
that  the  ventilation  might  be  improved,  that  the  decks  were  half 


VOYAGE  TO   NEW   BERNE.  45 

lighted,  and  as  he  picked  his  way  towards  deck  was  crowded  to 
and  fro  by  the  many  who  seemed  to  fill  all  places  before  him. 
The  water-tanks  had  always  a  band  of  thirsty  customers,  and  to 
get  anything  like  coffee,  or  the  better  phrase,  "  bilge-water,"  or 
anything  to  eat,  he  must  stand  in  rank  and  wait  until  he  is  counted 
off,  while  sergeants  and  other  uncommissioned  officers  are  work 
ing  here  and  there  to  find  places  or  food  for  their  men,  or  per 
chance  medicine  for  some  one  taken  sick  so  early  on  the  way. 
The  two  great  transports  lay  at  anchor  off  Deer  Island,  and  most 
of  the  men  found  their  decks  by  far  the  most  pleasant  place  on 
board.  They  could  see  the  lights  of  home  shining  almost  all 
around  them.  There  is  a  little  cluster  off  towards  the  South 
Shore,  and  a  little  band  of  the  boys,  all  from  that  village,  gather 
together  and  speculate  upon  what  Tom,  or  Mary,  or  father,  or 
So-and-so  can  be  doing  over  there,  —  whether  that  light  that 
seems  higher  than  the  rest  comes  from  a  home  just  saddened  by 
a  soldier's  death. 

The  lights  on  Beacon  Hill  flash  upon  the  night,  and  there  were 
some  in  private's  toggery  on  board  to  whom  the  homes  were  fa 
miliar.  There  was  a  constant  bobbing  of  lights  at  and  upon  the 
forts,  while  a  gunboat  went  rushing  by  towards  the  Navy  Yard. 
Presently  voices  upon  the  forward  deck  let  us  know  that  "  there 
is  music  in  the  air,"  and  every  man  had  soon  forgotten  discom 
fort  in  letting  the  world  for  a  mile  or  two  about  know  that  beans 
can  always  be  procured  "  down  by  the  Readville  camp."  The 
music  changed :  sometimes  it  became  pathetic,  and  there  was 
something  plaintive  in  its  sounds,  while  the  lights  of  distant 
homes,  and  the  thoughts  that  would  fill  the  mind,  made  it  still 
more  potent;  then  it  would  break  into  the  patriotic,  and  our  souls 
be.  aroused  from  sadness  and  carried  away  to  martial  sights  and 
sounds,  into  which  we  hoped,  if  carried,  to  engage  with  honor. 

Some  got  drowsy  and  went  to  join  that  mighty  chorus  of  those 
who  could  sleep,  while  others  remained  on  deck  mooning  the 
night  away;  until  presently,  the  anchors  being  weighed,  the  ves 
sels  started,  soon  leaving  home  a  dim  line  of  blue  hills  that 
would  insist  in  getting  very  misty  in  so  short  a  time. 

I  recall,  as  I  stood  looking  homewards  early  in  the  morning, 
one  of  the  oldest  officers  of  the  regiment  coming  close  to  where 


46 


FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 


I  was,  and  as  he  gazed  into  the  mist  that  kept  his  home  out  of 
sight,  I  heard  him  repeat  that  always  sweet  Thackerarian,  — 

"  And  when  the  day  was  breaking, 
My  little  girls  were  waking, 
And  smiling  and  making 
A  prayer  at  home  for  me." 

The  sun  the  next  morn  looked  out  upon  a  pleasant  day  at  sea, 
and  soon  the  crowd  came  tumbling  one  on  another  for  fresh  air. 
The  sound  of  every  animal  that  man  can  imitate  blended  with 


the  laugh  and  shout  of  the  crowd.  The  hungry  man  was  on  the 
alert,  with  his  eager  eye  towards  every  quarter ;  he  sniffed  the 
officers'  breakfast  being  prepared,  and  mutiny,  if  not  something 
worse,  was  stamped  on  his  face.  Occasionally  one  particular 
man  anxiously  asked  for  water  for  his  daily  libations.  He  got  no 
consolation,  excepting  to  have  the  transport  men  state  that, 
though  they  had  carried  fifty  thousand  soldiers,  this  was  the  first 
regiment  that  wanted  water  for  washing  purposes.  Dirt,  the 
soldier's  comforter,  began  to  put  on  her  grim  mask.  Some,  over 
come  by  seasickness,  wandered  about  with  a  fiendlike  look  of 


VOYAGE  TO  NEW  BERNE.  47 

resignation  on  their  faces,  while  there  ran  through  the  crowd  a 
curious  fancy  to  examine  the  old  hulks,  with  all  the  curiosity  a 
Yankee  can  exhibit. 

As  we  rounded  the  Cape  and  got  well  set  on  the  trip,  we 
began  to  make  ourselves  as  comfortable  as  we  could,  and  ac 
cepted  the  situation  without  conditions. 

I  should  like  to  have  a  picture  of  the  crowd  upon  the  decks  of 
one  of  the  transports,  —  many  lying  about  upon  their  backs, 
smoking  their  pipes  in  quiet  amusement,  observing  some  frolic 
some  mate  attempting  a  breakdown,  or  a  hand-spring  that  would 
land  him  in  a  crowd  of  grave-looking  savants  discussing  some 
knotty  Greek  problem,  or  the  more  practical  game  that  Sarah 
Battles  so  much  and  under  such  different  circumstances  en 
joyed.  Here  a  group  of  strategists  were  settling  the  problem  of 
where  we  were  to  go ;  there  a  party  watching  distant  smoke  on 
the  horizon,  and  querying  whether  it  may  not  be  the  terrible 
"Alabama;"  near  by,  a  sad-voiced  youth  reading  "  Michelet" 
to  a  band  of  hard-heads,  who  guy  the  poor  youth  until  he  is 
obliged  to  withdraw  from  the  contest;  everywhere,  men  lying 
upon  their  backs,  enjoying  the  rapture  of  looking  into  the  sky 
while  the  vessel  is  seesawing  along.  Guns  are  everywhere,  and 
accoutrements  are  tumbling  about.  The  diary  fever  becomes 
contagious,  and  now  and  then  some  genius  undertakes  a  sketch 
of  something  picturesque,  to  find  his  efforts  spoiled  by  some  sad 
wag- 
Transport  life  is  the  art  of  holding  on  to  existence  with  a  fierce 
patience  while  praying  all  the  time  to  reach  port ;  but  it  has  its 
peculiarities  which  cannot  be  found  on  any  shipboard.  It  is  a 
good  place  for  those  who  accept,  a  bad  place  for  growlers. 

Beaufort  Harbor,  with  its  little  village  of  old-fashioned  houses 
encircling  the  shore,  with  the  fort  at  the  other  end  of  the  circle 
and  the  dismal  wharf  called  Morehead  City,  greeted  us,  on  the 
morning  of  October  26,  when  we  pulled  up  to  our  place  of 
debarkation.  Our  eyes  were  everywhere.  This,  then,  was  the 
part  of  the  sunny  South  to  which  we  were  invited.  It  hardly 
looked  fit  to  conquer.  Yet  when  we  landed,  the  pleasure  of 
getting  "out  of  the  black  hole"  was  so  great  that  the  country 
round  about  put  on  a  better  tone.  A  hungry  friend  just  then 


48 


FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 


gave  me  a  piece  of  sweet-potato  pie  that  he  had  bought  of  a  fat 
old  Dinah,  who  had  a  really  clean-looking  basket,  and  after  the 
first  mouthful,  hungry  as  I  was,  this  experience  became  my  first 
and  last  experiment  with  "  sweet-potato  pie." 

Of  course  there  was  delay.  The  cars  backed  down  past  the 
long  building  on  the  wharf  with  exasperating  slowness,  while  we, 
with  our  concentrated  Readville  equipage  still  packed  in  our 
knapsacks,  stood  by  doing  everything  but  swearing  (that  was 
forbidden  by  the  army  regulations).  The  magnificent  structures 


in  which  we  were  expected  to  ride,  consisting  of  open  (platform) 
freight-cars,  with  room  for  some  to  stand  and  some  to  sit,  having 
been  finally  made  ready,  we  climbed  upon  them  and  stowed 
ourselves  away  as  best  we  could. 

At  1.30  P.M.,  after  interminable  delays,  we  started  for  New 
Berne,  forty  miles  away.  The  Ninth  New  Jersey,  with  whom  we 
were  destined  to  march  many  weary  miles,  were  quartered  at 
Morehead  City,  and  greeted  us  with  hearty  cheers.  The  railroad 
carried  us  through  a  country  guarded  in  fact  by  block-houses, 
around  which  as  we  passed  by  were  gathered  veterans  who  gave 
us  a  glance  half-curious,  half-satirical,  as  though  they  doubted 
the  entire  efficiency  of  our  overpowering  newness ;  but  the  route 


VOYAGE   TO   NEW   BERNE.  49 

was  made  very  interesting  in  catching  glimpses  of  the  country 
through  which  Burnside  had  conducted  his  brilliant  campaign 
when  he  captured  New  Berne. 

As  the  train  approached  the  clearings  that  were  in  front  of  the 
breastworks  that  ran  down  to  the  river's  bank,  surrounded  by 
the  thick  forests  that  prevail  in  that  country,  —  other  than  the 
mounds  of  earth  built  by  the  enemy,  there  was  no  sign  that  a 
battle  had  ever  been  fought.  The  more  vivid  reminders  of  the 
existence  of  war  were  the  chimneys  of  burned  houses,  and  the  air 
of  desolation  that  was  added  to  the  character  of  the  country, 
dreary  enough  before  the  war.  The  rain  in  its  most  pronounced 
Southern  style  poured  upon  our  unprotected  heads,  but  there 
was  very  little  glumness.  Jokes  were  passed.  The  Mark  Tap- 
ley  in  us  struggled  upwards,  and  we  secured  a  certain  amount 
of  interest  in  the  excitement  that  war  scenes  always  bring  to 
mind.  Corporal  Gardner,  whose  letters  upon  this  and  other  in 
cidents  connected  with  our  history  are  exceedingly  graphic  and 
interesting,  gives  the  following  incident  that  occurred  upon  this 
train :  — 

"  Yankee  genius  is  apt  to  run  to  invention  ;  and  at  the  outbreak  of  the 
war  one  would  have  judged  by  the  number  of  new  patents  that  were  con 
stantly  appearing,  —  patents  for  cartridge-boxes,  muskets,  haversacks,  and 
in  fact  everything  that  could  by  any  possible  means  be  enumerated  in  a 
soldier's  outfit,  —  that  the  whole  nation  had  devoted  itself  to  invention. 
Among  these  numberless  inventions  was  a  patent  canteen.  It  was  a  com 
bined  lunch-box,  writing-desk,  and  fluid  storehouse.  One  of  the  principal 
advantages  claimed  for  it  was,  that  when  a  soldier  was  too  weary  to  lift  it  to 
drink,  he  had  but  to  apply  his  lips  to  the  end  of  a  rubber  tube  which  was 
fastened  along  the  strap  from  which  the  canteen  was  suspended  and  which 
was  close  to  his  mouth ;  a  slight  suction  was  then  all  the  exertion  required 
I  was  the  proud  possessor  of  one  of  these  articles.  Previous  to  the  de 
parture  of  the  regiment  the  canteen  had  been  filled  with  some  whiskey 
which  I  resolved  to  keep  for  a  case  of  emergency.  This  resolution,  in  the 
innocence  of  my  heart,  I  confided  to  many  of  the  boys,  and  showed  them 
how  the  famous  canteen  could  be  easily  emptied  of  its  contents.  The 
morning  the  regiment  landed  at  Morehead  City  was  threatening,  and  be 
fore  the  train  had  started  it  began  to  rain,  —  a  genuine  Southern  rain. 
The  officers  and  cooks  having  appropriated  the  only  covered  car  on  the 
train,  the  rest  of  us  were  obliged  to  stand  on  open  platform  cars  that  were 
filled  up  like  a  hay-cart.  Rubber  blankets  were  no  protection,  and  in  a 

4 


50  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

few  minutes  we  were  completely  drenched.  The  air  was  chilly,  and  the 
boys  huddled  together  to  keep  warm  ;  nearly  all  the  boys  in  Company  D 
seemed  to  have  a  particular  desire  to  keep  me  warm,  and  although  the 
individuals  who  surrounded  me  were  constantly  changing,  the  number 
remained  about  the  same.  Time  and  time  again,  as  a  cold  shiver  passed 
over  me,  I  was  tempted  to  take  a  sip  from  the  patent  canteen ;  but  I  man 
fully  resisted  the  temptation.  Finally  I  became  too  cold,  the  temptation 
was  too  great.  I  succumbed  and  sucked.  No  whiskey  rose  in  the  tube. 
I  sucked  again.  No  response.  An  expression  of  doubt  and  distrust 
passed  over  my  face.  The  boys  could  keep  quiet  no  longer  ;  while  I  had 
been  thanking  them  almost  for  their  kindness  in  protecting  me  from 
the  wind,  they  had  been  drinking  my  precious  whiskey.  I  felt  a  sense 
of  righteous  wrath.  But  of  what  avail?  The  whiskey  had  disappeared, 
and  probably  there  was  no  member  of  Company  D,  barring  myself  and  a 
few  anti-alcoholites,  but  could  have  told  the  quality  of  the  liquor." 

But  the  long  jaunt  came  to  an  end ;  we  rumbled  over  the 
bridge  into  the  city  of  New  Berne,  where,  letting  Corporal 
Gardner  tell  the  remainder  of  this  story,  "  We  reached  after  dark 
and  found  quite  a  number  of  the  Twenty-third  Massachusetts  at 
the  depot  to  receive  us.  The  Twenty-third  are  guarding  the 
town.  It  was  raining  when  we  reached  the  city,  and  we  met  with 
the  delay  usually  incident  to  all  military  proceedings.  At  last 
our  company  (Company  D)  and  three  others  were  safely  housed 
in  the  machine-shop  connected  with  the  railroad.  This  was 
about  7  P.  M.  It  took  us  but  a  short  time  to  unsling  knapsacks 
and  select  our  '  bunking  places.'  Then  arose  a  great  demand 
for  eatables.  A  box  of  very  good  codfish  and  a  barrel  of  bread, 
hard,  were  opened,  and  found  a  market  very  quickly.  The  only 
water  we  could  procure  was  by  holding  our  cups  under  the  rain 
spout;  but  the  supply  did  not  equal  the  demand.  We  were  all 
gratified  to  hear  that  the  Twenty-fourth  were  preparing  some  hot 
coffee,  and  soon  after  that  the  coffee  had  arrived.  Cold,  wet,  and 
tired  as  we  were,  it  tasted  better  than  anything  I  have  had  since  I 
left  home.  As  soon  as  we  fairly  emptied  the  mess  kettle,  we 
turned  over  and  under  our  blankets,  and  in  a  few  minutes  were 
sound  asleep." 

To  me,  as  I  go  over  the  details  that  then  seemed  so  important 
and  now  so  misty  and  almost  inconsequential,  there  comes  up  a 
picture  of  the  bright  faces  that  went  with  us  in  the  life  of  the 


VOYAGE  TO   NEW   BERNE.  51 

regiment.     They  have  all  gone  their  way  these  many  a  year,  - 
some  are  resting  under 

"  the  low  green  tent 
Whose  curtain  never  outward  swings," 

and  the  rest  have  so  changed  in  the  last  twent/  years  that  one 
could  almost  dream  the  days  we  spent  in  the  old  Forty-fourth 
were  in  another  existence,  and  with  other  men  than  those  we 
meet  now  and  call  comrades. 


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CHAPTER   IV. 


NEW   BERNE   AND   ITS   GARRISON. 


EW  BERNE,  the  county  seat 
of  Craven  County,  and  the 
largest  town  in  eastern  North 
Carolina,  is  situated  on  the 
southwest  bank  of  the  Neuse 
River,  —  at  this  point  over  a 
mile  wide  and  navigable,  —  at 
its  confluence  with  the  Trent, 
thirty  miles  from  Pamlico 
Sound,  and  one  hundred  and 
twenty  miles  southeast  from 
Raleigh. 

At    the    beginning    of    the 
Civil    War   the    population    of 
New    Berne    was    about    five 
thousand.       It  was    a   port  of 
entry,  exporting  large  quanti 
ties  of  grain,   lumber,   tar,   and  turpentine,   and   having   also    a 
considerable  coastwise  commerce.     Railroads  connected  it  writh 
Beaufort  on  the  coast,  and  through  Weldon  with  Goldsboro'  and 
its  converging  roads  in  the  interior.     It  had  a  bank,  a  theatre, 
two  good  hotels,   a  daily  newspaper,   and    other    features    of  a 
thriving  city.     The    paper  was   revived  under  Yankee  auspices 
after  the  capture,  and  as  "  The  New  Berne  Progress,"  containing 
as   much   news  as  the  military  authorities  deemed  it  proper  to 
allow,  was  a  welcome  visitor  in  the  camps. 

The  town  was  an  attractive  one,  of  the  Southern  type.  Wide 
streets,  running  generally  at  right  angles,  and  shaded  by  large 
trees,  were  bordered  by  detached  dwelling-houses,  mainly  built 


54  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

of  wood,  with  broad  verandas  and  luxuriant  gardens.  At  the 
time  of  our  occupation  the  better  part  of  the  native  whites  had 
left  the  city.  Their  houses,  occupied  by  troops,  had  been 
neglected  and  fallen  out  of  repair.  Negroes  swarmed  through 
the  town,  and  populated  its  outskirts. 

Early  in  the  war  the  attention  of  the  Federal  authorities  was 
directed  to  the  facilities  afforded  by  the  inlets  and  sounds  of  the 
North  Carolina  coast  for  collecting  and  forwarding  supplies  for 
the  Virginia  armies ;  for  exporting  the  naval  stores  which  could 
be  turned  into  money  abroad ;  for  the  entrance  of  blockade- 
runners  returning  with  arms,  ammunition,  and  clothing;  and 
for  sheltering  small  privateers,  which  could  issue  from  the  inlets, 
dash  upon  coasting  merchant-vessels,  and  return  at  discretion  to 
the  friendly  shelter  of  the  sounds.  The  formation  of  the  coast,  — 
a  narrow  strip  of  sand  enclosing  extensive  land-locked  bodies 
of  water,  — while  favorable  to  such  commerce,  was  also  favorable 
for  naval  attacks  from  the  ocean,  and  correspondingly  weak  for 
defence. 

As  early  as  August,  1861,  a  naval  expedition  accompanied  by 
a  small  land  force  under  General  Butler  captured  and  occupied 
the  forts  at  Hatteras  Inlet.  In  January,  1862,  a  large  force  under 
General  Burnside  (the  Burnside  Expedition),  embarking  at  Hamp 
ton  Roads,  was  transported  with  difficulty  over  the  shallow  and 
shifting  bar  at  Hatteras,  and  in  February  attacked  and  carried  the 
Rebel  works  at  Roanoke  Island,  the  key  to  Albemarle  Sound. 

A  month  later,  the  naval  forces  and  transports  left  Roanoke 
Island,  steamed  up  the  Neuse,  and  landed  the  troops  of  the  ex 
pedition  sixteen  miles  below  New  Berne.  On  the  morning  of 
March  14  a  line  of  earthworks  running  from  the  river  across  the 
Atlantic  and  North  Carolina  Railroad,  and  defended  by  ten 
thousand  Confederates,  was  attacked  and  gallantly  carried  by  our 
forces,  in  about  equal  numbers.  Generals  Foster,  Reno,  and  Parke 
commanded  the  three  columns  of  attack,  which  pushed  forward 
after  the  retreating  Rebels,  and  took  possession  of  New  Berne. 

Through  these  successive  victories  the  army  and  navy  effected 
a  permanent  lodgment  in  eastern  North  Carolina,  which  they 
held  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Our  occupation  effectually 
stopped  blockade  running,  exporting,  and  privateering,  as  far 


NEW   BERNE   AND   ITS   GARRISON.  55 

south  as  Wilmington,  N.  C.,  and  was  a  constant  menace  to  the 
flank  and  rear  of  the  Confederate  armies  around  Richmond. 

In  July,  1862,  General  Burnside  was  ordered,  with  a  large 
portion  of  his  force,  to  Virginia,  and  General  Foster  assumed 
command  of  the  Department  of  North  Carolina.  On  Sep 
tember  24,  he  addressed  a  letter  to  General  Halleck,  General-in- 
Chief  of  the  United  States  Army,  at  Washington,  making  formal 
application  for  more  troops.  He  writes:  — 

"  The  advantages  of  this  post  for  drilling  and  perfecting  new  regiments 
are  very  great.  The  place  is  healthy,  wood  in  great  abundance,  water 
sufficient,  and  subsistence  and  quartermaster's  supplies  are  easily  brought 
from  New  York,  both  to  this  place  and  to  Beaufort,  from  which  point  the 
railroad  is  in  good  order  and  running.  I  have  some  eight  regiments  of 
infantry  here,  of  old  troops  divided  into  two  brigades,  commanded  by  most 
excellent  officers  (acting  brigadier- generals),  Colonels  Amory  and  Steven 
son,  and  with  other  excellent  colonels  could  readily  drill  any  number  of 
new  regiments.  My  artillery  force  (Third  New  York  Artillery)  is  good. 
They  number  five  light  batteries  with  twenty-eight  pieces,  Rhode  Island 
battery  with  six  pieces,  Rocket  battalion  with  eight  pieces.  My  siege  train, 
ready  for  transportation,  though  at  present  on  shipboard  with  supply  of 
ammunition,  consists  of  four  3O-pounder  Parrott  guns  ;  in  addition  to 
which  I  can  land  for  the  investment  of  any  sea-coast  place  ten  32-pounders 
in  ship  carriages.  My  cavalry  force  is  one  good  and  efficient  regiment,  — 
Third  New  York  Cavalry.  My  knowledge  of  the  country  in  this  region, 
derived  from  being  stationed  here  as  engineer  officer  in  charge,  and  more 
lately  in  command  of  this  department,  enables  me  to  use  the  small  force 
at  my  disposal  to  advantage ;  which  advantages  would  of  course  be  greatly 
increased  by  having  a  much  larger  force  at  my  disposal." 

Again,  Oct.  3,  1862,  he  addressed  a  letter  to  the  War  Depart 
ment  requesting  reinforcements  of  infantry  to  be  sent,  "  if  it 
is  expected  of  me  to  go  into  active  service  during  the  cool 
weather." 

"  Further  reflection  on  this  subject  has  convinced  me  of  the  propriety 
of  my  request,  and  especially  as  regards  new  regiments  ;  and  I  beg  leave  to 
re-urge  this  matter,  and  to  further  say  that  even  if  it  is  not  intended  that  I 
should  make  any  decided  movement,  this  place  presents  very  great  facili 
ties  as  a  camp  of  instruction  for  a  very  large  body  of  troops,  and  would  be 
more  available  for  operations  on  the  flank  of  the  enemy,  should  that  be 
rendered  necessary  by  their  retreat  from  Richmond,  or  from  any  other 
cause.  Even  if  thirty  or  forty  new  regiments  be  sent,  I  will  devote  my 
personal  time  to  drilling  and  perfecting  them  in  their  duties.  I  am 


56  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

advancing  the  defences  of  the  town,  and  they  are  now  strong  enough  to 
require  a  siege  to  take,  I  think." 

In  answer  to  these  suggestions  a  number  of  new  troops  (prin 
cipally  nine  months'  regiments)  were  sent  to  New  Berne  in 
October.  After  the  Tarboro'  expedition  General  Foster  asked 
again  for  more  troops,  in  these  terms :  — 

"  The  enemy  have  much  increased  their  force  and  their  activity  in  this 
State.  They  show  a  determination  to  withstand  my  advances  in  their  rich 
country  of  the  eastern  sections,  and  also,  if  possible,  to  diminish  my  hold 
in  that  section.  On  the  other  hand,  the  weakening  influences  of  the  past 
malarious  season  have  so  weakened  the  strength  of  my  old  regiments  that 
for  hard  active  service  I  have  scarcely  available  one  half  their  nominal 
strength.  The  Third,  Fifth,  Forty- third,  Forty-fourth,  Forty-fifth,  and 
Forty-sixth  Massachusetts  Regiments,  arrived  here,  are  good  troops.  I 
would  most  respectfully  suggest  that  if  possible  I  should  be  allowed 
at  once  ten  thousand  troops  in  addition  to  my  present  force.  The 
sooner  I  have  this  force,  the  sooner  I  will  endeavor  to  prepare  my  plans 
of  cutting  the  Weldon  and  Wilmington  Railroad,  and  the  taking  of 
Wilmington  and  the  works  at  the  mouth  of  the  Cape  Fear  River." 

Additional  troops  were  sent  in  response  to  this  appeal,  until 
the  Federal  troops  in  the  Department  of  North  Carolina  num 
bered  (in  January,  1863)  nearly  thirty  thousand  men. 

The  relative  strength  of  the  opposing  forces  in  the  State  dur 
ing  the  period  in  which  we  are  especially  interested  is  shown  in 
the  following  tables,  taken  from  the  Appendix  to  Admiral  Am- 
men's  "  Navy  in  the  Civil  War :  The  Atlantic  Coast :  "  — 

Abstract  from  Returns  of  the  United  States  military  forces  serving  in 

North  Carolina. 

Present  for  duty.  Aggregate  present. 

September,  1862 6,642  8,647 

October,         " 8,967  IIAIS 

November,      " 12,872  1 5,569 

December,      " 18,468  21,917 

January,     1863 25,023  28,194 

February,     "        15,806  18,548 

March,                   14,672  i7;i°5 

April,                      13,962  I5,920 

May,                      16,643  I9»7r5 

In  August  the  forces  had  been  reduced  to  7,699  present  for  duty. 


NEW   BERNE  AND   ITS   GARRISON.  57 

Abstract  from  Returns  of  the  Confederate  military  forces  serving  in 
North  Carolina.  {No  returns  accessible  for  September,  October,  and 
November,  1862.) 

Present  for  duty.  Aggregate  present. 

December,  1862 11,074  12,207 

January,       1863 26,958  3Z>273 

February,        " I5>9°4  i9>894 

March,            "  .     -  20,733 

April,               " 7>501  8,385 

May,               " 22,149  26,838 

In  August  there  were  7,391  present  for  duty. 

A  small  portion  of  our  forces  were  distributed  as  garrisons 
along  the  coast,  and  in  towns  like  Plymouth  and  Washington, 
at  the  head  of  navigation  in  the  larger  rivers.  The  larger  portion 
of  the  troops  remained  in  and  around  New  Berne,  occupying  per 
manent  camps  in  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  on  both  sides  of  the 
Trent  River,  within  a  strong  line  of  forts  which  had  been  con 
structed  after  our  occupation.  The  picket  line  lay  six  or  eight 
miles  out,  following  on  the  west,  or  side  toward  the  enemy,  the 
course  of  Batchelder's  Creek.  The  sparsely  inhabited  country 
around  New  Berne  is  flat,  low,  swampy,  heavily  wooded  with 
pines,  and  traversed  by  numerous  creeks.  The  roads  are  wet, 
sandy,  heavy,  and  unfavorable  to  the  movement  of  troops. 

The  Rebel  force  in  North  Carolina  in  November,  1862,  was  dis 
tributed  somewhat  as  follows  :  — 

Between  New  Berne  and  Raleigh,  with  headquarters  at  Golds- 
boro',  eight  thousand  men,  including  two  regiments  of  cavalry 
and  a  small  force  of  light  artillery. 

At  and  near  Wilmington,  three  thousand  men. 

Between  the  Tar  and  Roanoke  Rivers,  a  movable  force  of  three 
thousand  men. 

A  regiment  was  also  stationed  at  Weldon,  where  further  forces 
could  be  readily  and  speedily  concentrated  from  Petersburg  and 
Richmond. 

The  aggregate  of  these  detachments  would  appear  to  be  nearly 
fifteen  thousand  men,  —  three  thousand  more  than  the  returns 
given  above  indicate  for  the  following  month  of  December. 


58  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

When  the  Forty-fourth  reached  New  Berne  the  Union  forces 
under  Foster  were  known  as  the  "  Department  of  North  Caro 
lina."  Nov.  21,  1862,  General  Orders  No.  58,  Department  Head 
quarters,  formed  the  infantry  regiments  into  temporary  brigades, 
our  regiment  being  assigned  to  the  Second  (under  command 
of  Col.  Thomas  G.  Stevenson),  consisting  of  the  Twenty-fourth 
Massachusetts,  Lieut-Col.  Osborn  ;  Fifth  Rhode  Island,  Major 
Arnold  ;  Tenth  Connecticut,  Colonel  Leggett  ;  and  Forty-fourth 
Massachusetts,  Col.  Francis  L.  Lee.  The  First  Brigade,  about 
4,500  men,  was  commanded  by  Col.  T.  J.  C.  Amory;  the  Second, 
about  4,000  men,  by  Col.  Thomas  G.  Stevenson  ;  the  Third, 
about  4,000  men,  by  Col.  Horace  C.  Lee  ;  and  there  were  unas- 
signed  about  3,200  men,  —  a  total  of  about  16,000  men,  infantry, 
cavalry,  and  artillery. 

On  the  24th  of  December  the  following  general  order  was 
issued  from  the  War  Department  at  Washington  :  — 

WAR  DEPARTMENT,  ADJUTANT  GENERAL'S  OFFICE, 

WASHINGTON,  Dec.  24,  1862. 
General  Order  No.  214. 

By  direction  of  the  President,  the  troops  in  North  Carolina  will  con 
stitute  the  Eighteenth  Army  Corps,  and  Major-General  J.  G.  Foster  is 
assigned  to  the  command. 

Four  days  later,  General  Order  No.  84,  Corps  Headquarters, 
was  issued  as  follows  :  — 

HEADQUARTERS  EIGHTEENTH  ARMY  CORPS, 

NEW  BERNE,  N.  C.,  Dec.  28,  1862. 
General  Order  No.  84. 

The  assignment  of  infantry  to  brigades  from  this  date  will  be  as  follows, 
and  commanding  officers  of  regiments  will  report  at  once  to  their  brigade 
commanders  :  — 

BRIG.-GEN.  L.  C.  HUNT. 


Pennsylvania  ......  Col.  J.  B.  Howell. 

Pennsylvania  ......  Lieut.-Col.  W.  H.  Maxwell. 

New  York      ......  Lieut.-Col.  A.  J.  Wellman. 

New  York  ....... 

i  oist  Pennsylvania  ......  Lieut.-Col.  D.  M.  Armor. 

96th  New  York  .......  Capt.  George  W.  Hindes. 

BRIG.-GEN.  THOMAS  G.  STEVENSON. 

24th  Massachusetts     .....  Lieut.-Col.  F.  A.  Osborn. 

44th  "  .....  Col.  F.  L.  Lee. 


NEW   BERNE  AND    ITS    GARRISON.  59 

5th  Rhode  Island Maj.  Tew. 

loth  Connecticut Lieut. -Col.  Leggett. 

BRIG.-GEN.  C.  A.  HECKMAN. 

9th  New  Jersey Maj.  Zabriskie. 

23d  Massachusetts Maj.  J.  G.  Chambers. 

3d  "  Col.  S.  P.  Richmond. 

5ist  Col.  A.  B.  R.  Sprague. 

COL.  T.  J.  C.  AMORY. 

i  yth  Massachusetts Lieut.-Col.  J.  F.  Fellows. 

43d  Col.  C.  L.  Holbrook. 

45th  Col.  C.  R.  Codman. 

8th  "  Col.  Coffin. 

COL.  HORACE  C.  LEE. 

2 yth  Massachusetts Lieut.-Col.  Luke  Lyman. 

25th  Col.  Pickett. 

46th  "  Col.  George  Bowler. 

5th  Col.  G.  W.  Pierson. 

First  Division  of  the  Eighteenth  Corps  will  consist  of  Brigadier-General 
Hunt's  and  Stevenson's  brigades,  to  be  commanded  by  Brigadier-General 
Wessells.    Brigadier-Generals  Hunt  and  Stevenson  will  report  at  once  to 
Brigadier-General  Wessells. 
By  command  of 

Major-General  JOHN  G.  FOSTER, 

J.  F.  ANDERSON,  Captain  and  A.  A.  A,  G. 
[Official]  : 

WILLIAM  PRATT,  A.  A.  A.  G. 

On  the  29th,  General  Orders  from  Division  Headquarters  was 
read  :  — 

HEADQUARTERS  FIRST  DIVISION,  EIGHTEENTH  ARMY  CORPS 

NEW  BERNE,  N.  C.,  Dec.  29,  1862. 
General  Order  No.  i . 

I.  Pursuant  to  orders  from  Headquarters  Eighteenth  Army  Corps,  28th 
inst.,  the  undersigned  assumes  command  of  this  division,  composed  of 
Hunt's  and  Stevenson's  brigades.  The  following  are  announced  as  staff 
officers  of  this  division  :  — 

Capt.  Andrew  Stewart,  A.  A.  G. 
"  R.  C.  Webster,  A.  Q.  M. 
"  John  Hall,  C.  S. 


60  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

Surg.  D.  G.  Rush,  Chief  of  Medical  Staff. 

ist  Lieut.  Daniel  F.  Beigh  (loist  Pennsylvania) ,  A.  D.  C. 

2d      "      M.  C.  Frost  ($2d  New  York),  A.  D.  C. 

The  brigades  will  be  known  as  First  and  Second  in  the  order  above 
enumerated.  H.  W.  WESSELLS, 

Brigadier-  General  Volunteers, 

Commanding  Division. 
[Official]  : 

WILLIAM  PRAIT,  A.  A.  A.  G. 

The  force  at  New  Berne  was  considerably  increased  in  January, 
1 863,  by  the  arrival  of  troops  ordered  to  this  department  from 
the  Department  of  Virginia,  Major-General  Dix,  Brigadier-Gen 
erals  Ferry,  Wessells,  Spinola,  and  Naglee  reporting  with  their 
respective  brigades.  A  reorganization  of  the  Army  Corps  fol 
lowed,  and  five  divisions  were  created. 

The  monthly  reports  subsequent  to  this  date  (January  12)  show 
that  the  First  Division  was  commanded  by  Brig. -Gen.  I.  N.  Palmer, 
the  Second  Division  by  Brig.-Gen.  Henry  M.  Naglee,  the  Third 
Division  by  Brig.-Gen.  O.  S.  Ferry,  the  Fourth  Division  by  Brig.- 
Gen.  Henry  W.  Wessells,  the  Fifth  Division  by  Brig.-Gen.  H. 
Prince.  The  first  North  Carolina  Union  volunteers  were  com 
manded  by  Capt.  C.  A.  Lyon,  the  artillery  brigade  by  Brig.-Gen. 
J.  H.  Ledlie,  and  the  Third  New  York  Cavalry  by  Col.  S.  H.  Mix. 

The  Fourth  Division,  General  Wessells,  comprised  the  two 
brigades  of  Hunt  and  Stevenson  as  defined  in  General  Order 
No.  84  above. 

Under  this  organization  the  Forty-fourth  Massachusetts  Regi 
ment  was  in  the  Second  Brigade  of  the  Fourth  Division  of  the 
Eighteenth  Army  Corps,  with  Major-General  Foster  as  our  corps 
commander,  Brig.-Gen.  Henry  W.  Wessells  our  division  com 
mander,  and  Brig.-Gen.  Thomas  G.  Stevenson  our  brigade 
commander.1 

1  There  has  been  considerable  discussion  among  our  members  as  to  which  divi 
sion  we  belonged  to.  The  writer  has  examined  carefully  all  the  papers  on  file  at  the 
State  House,  including  the  regimental  order-book,  and  all  the  official  documents  in 
Washington  to  which  he  could  get  access.  He  has  failed  to  find  any  order  assigning 
the  regiment  to  the  Fourth  Division,  while  there  is  one  (General  Order  No.  14) 
assigning  it  to  the  First;  yet  all  the  official  papers  subsequent  to  January  12  speak 
of  General  Wessells  as  in  command  of  the  Fourth  Division.  So  far  as  we  can  see, 
there  is  at  present  no  means  of  settling  the  question  satisfactorily. 


NEW   BERNE   AND   ITS    GARRISON.  6 1 

Our  corps  commander,  John  G.  Foster,  Major-General  of 
Volunteers,  was  born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1824,  was  graduated 
at  West  Point  in  1846,  and  appointed  a  brevet  second  lieutenant 
in  the  corps  of  engineers.  He  was  brevetted  as  first  lieutenant  for 
gallantry  during  the  Mexican  War  at  Contreras  and  Cherubusco, 
Aug.  20,  1847,  and  as 'captain  for  gallantry  at  Molino  del  Rey, 
Sept.  8,  1847,  where  he  was  one  of  the  party  which  stormed  the 
Mexican  works  and  was  severely  wounded.  He  was  assistant 
professor  of  engineering  at  West  Point  in  1854,  became  a  cap 
tain  July  I,  1860,  and  was  brevetted  as  major,  Dec.  26,  1860. 
On  April  28,  1858,  he  took  charge  of  the  fortifications  in  North 
and  South  Carolina,  which  duty  he  was  performing  on  the  break 
ing  out  of  the  Civil  War  in  1861.  He  was  one  of  the  garrison 
of  Fort  Sumter  under  Major  Anderson,  and  participated  in  the 
defence  of  that  fort.  After  its  surrender  he  was  employed  upon 
the  fortifications  of  New  York.  He  was  appointed  a  brigadier- 
general  of  volunteers,  Oct.  23,  1861,  and  commanded  a  brigade 
in  the  Burnside  expedition,  taking  a  leading  part  in  the  capture 
of  Roanoke  Island  and  New  Berne.  After  the  capture  of  New 
Berne  he  was  made  governor  of  that  place.  In  August,  1862, 
he  was  appointed  major-general  of  volunteers.  After  General 
Burnside  left  North  Carolina  to  join  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
General  Foster  became  the  commander  of  the  department,  and 
on  the  creation  of  the  Eighteenth  Army  Corps  he  was  appointed 
to  the  command. 

From  July  15  to  Nov.  15,  1863,  he  was  in  command  of  the 
Department  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina.  From  Dec.  12, 
1863,  to  Feb.  9,  1864,  he  commanded  the  Army  and  Department 
of  the  Ohio.  This  command  he  was  obliged  to  relinquish  on 
account  of  severe  injuries  which  resulted  from  a  fall  from  his 
horse.  After  remaining  two  months  on  sick  leave  at  Baltimore, 
he  assumed  command  of  the  Department  of  the  South,  retaining 
it  from  May  26,  1864,  to  Feb.  11,  1865.  From  August,  1865,  to 
December,  1866,  he  commanded  the  Department  of  Florida. 
He  was  mustered  out  of  the  volunteer  service,  September,  1866, 
and  died  at  Nashua,  N.  H.,  Sept.  2,  1874. 

General  Foster  was  made  Lieutenant-Colonel  in  the  Engineers 
of  the  regular  army  March  7,  1867;  and  was  brevetted  March  13, 


62  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

1865,  Brigadier-General  and  Major-General,  also  of  the  regular 
army. 

By  a  general  order  dated  New  Berne,  Jan,  12,  1863,  the  follow 
ing-named  officers  were  announced  as  constituting  the  staff  of  the 
major-general  commanding :  — 

Brig.-Gen.  Edward  E.  Potter,  chief  of  staff. 
Lieut.-Col.  Southard  Hoffman,  assistant  adjutant-general. 
Capt.  James  H.  Strong,  aide-de-camp  and  assistant  adjutant  and  in 
spector  general. 

Maj.  J.  L.  Stackpole,  judge-advocate. 
Maj.  John  F.  Anderson,  senior  aide-de-camp. 
Maj.  Edward  N.  Strong,  aide-de-camp. 
Capt.  George  E.  Gourand,  aide-de-camp. 
Capt.  Louis  Fitzgerald,  aide-de-camp. 
Capt.  Daniel  Messinger,  provost  marshal. 
Lieut.-Col.  Herman  Briggs,  chief  quartermaster. 
Capt.  J.  C.  Slaght,  assistant  quartermaster. 
Capt.  Henry  Porter,  assistant  quartermaster. 
Capt.  William  Holden,  assistant  quartermaster. 
Capt.  J.  J.  Bowen,  assistant  quartermaster. 
Lieut.  Joseph  A.  Goldthwaite,  acting  commissary  of  subsistence. 
Surg.  F.  G.  Snelling,  medical  director. 

Lieut.  F.  W.  Farquhar,  United  States  Engineer  Corps,  chief  engineer. 
Lieut.  M.  F.  Prouty,  acting  ordnance  officer. 
Lieut.  J.  Myers,  United  States  Ordnance  Corps,  ordnance  officer. 

Our  division  commander,  Henry  W.  Wessells,  was  born  in 
Litchfield,  Conn.,  Feb.  20,  1809.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he 
entered  a  military  school  at  Middletown,  Conn.,  and  the  following 
year  went  to  West  Point,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1833.  He 
was  brevetted  second  lieutenant  in  the  Second  Infantry;  was 
engaged  in  the  Creek  War  in  Georgia  in  1835,  an^  the  Seminole 
WTar  in  Florida  in  1837-43;  was  promoted  to  be  first  lieuten 
ant  in  1838,  and  captain  in  1847;  was  brevetted  major  for 
gallantry  at  Contreras  and  Cherubusco  during  the  Mexican  war, 
in  the  former  of  which  engagements  he  was  wounded.  After 
the  close  of  the  war  with  Mexico  he  went  with  his  regiment  to 
California,  and  thence  in  1854  to  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  In  June, 
1 86 1,  he  was  appointed  major  in  the  Sixth  Infantry.  During  the 
winter  of  1861-62  he  was  granted  leave  of  absence  and  organized 


NEW   BERNE   AND   ITS   GARRISON.  63 

the  Eighth  Regiment  of  Kansas  Volunteers.  In  the  spring  of 
1862  he  joined  his  own  regiment  before  Yorktown  in.  General 
Sikes's  command,  and  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks. 
He  was  commissioned  brigadier-general  of  volunteers,  April  25, 
1862,  serving  in  the  Department  of  Virginia,  Major-General  Dix. 
In  December,  1862,  he  was  transferred  from  the  Department  of 
Virginia  to  the  Department  of  North  Carolina.  In  May,  1863,  he 
was  assigned  to  the  defence  of  Plymouth,  N.  C.,  which  place  he 
was  compelled  to  surrender,  April  20,  1864,  after  a  fight  of  four 
days,  and  was  taken  prisoner  and  held  until  August,  when  ex 
changed.  He  was  mustered  out  of  the  volunteer  service,  January, 
1866.  In  February,  1865,  he  was  appointed  a  lieutenant-colonel  in 
the  Eighteenth  Regular  Infantry.  He  was  retired  Jan.  r,  1871. 

Our  brigade  commander,  Thomas  G.  Stevenson,  was  born  at 
Boston  in  the  year  1836.  He  became  an  active  member  of  the 
State  Militia,  rising  from  the  ranks  to  become  major  of  the  Fourth 
Battalion  of  Massachusetts  Infantry,  which  body,  under  his  care 
and  instruction,  attained  a  high  degree  of  excellence  in  discipline 
and  drill.  In  the  fall  of  1861  he  was  commissioned  colonel  of 
the  Twenty-fourth  Massachusetts  Volunteers.  He  participated 
in  the  battles  of  Roanoke  Island  and  New  Berne.  In  an  official 
report,  dated  New  Berne,  Nov.  12,  1862,  to  the  War  Department, 
after  the  Tarboro'  expedition,  General  Foster  writes :  - 

"  I  recommend  Colonel  Stevenson,  for  his  efficient  services  on  this  march 
and  in  the  affair  at  Little  Creek  and  Rawle's  Mills,  as  well  as  previous 
services  at  the  battle  of  Roanoke  Island  and  New  Berne,  be  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  brigadier-general." 

In  November,  1862,  Colonel  Stevenson  was  appointed  brigadier- 
general.  In  the  Richmond  campaign  of  1864  he  commanded  a 
division  of  the  Ninth  Corps,  and  lost  his  life  at  Spottsylvania 
Court  House,  May  10,  1864. 

With  this  description  of  New  Berne,  the  forces  which  occupied 
it,  and  the  commanders  under  whom  the  Forty-fourth  served, 
this  chapter  might  be  considered  as  complete ;  but  it  may  be 
well  to  include  here  one  or  two  incidents  connected  with  our 
stay  in  the  town  which  do  not  come  within  the  scope  of  any 
other  chapter. 


64  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

In  January  the  Twenty-fourth  Massachusetts  and  Tenth  Con 
necticut  of  our  brigade,  under  General  Stevenson,  were  sent  with 
other  regiments  of  the  Eighteenth  Army  Corps,  first  to  Beaufort, 
N.  C.,  and  thence  to  South  Carolina,  where  they  joined  the  forces 
operating  against  Charleston. 

The  concentration  of  troops  in  North  Carolina,  and  their  sub 
sequent  embarkation  at  Beaufort,  puzzled  and  alarmed  the  Con 
federate  authorities,  who  anticipated  a  simultaneous  attack  upon 
Weldon  at  the  north  and  Wilmington  at  the  south.  General  D. 
H.  Hill  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  troops  in  North  Caro 
lina,  then  (Feb.  i,  1863)  composed  of  Daniels's  and  Pettigrew's 
infantry  brigades,  Robertson's  cavalry  brigade,  and  some  artil 
lery.  In  March,  Garnett's  brigade,  from  Petersburg,  was  ordered 
to  report  to  Hill. 

When  it  was  ascertained  that  Charleston,  and  not  Wilmington, 
was  the  objective  point  of  the  new  expedition,  General  Hill 
planned  a  strong  movement  against  New  Berne  and  the  other 
Federal  positions  along  the  coast.  About  this  time  General 
Foster  wrote  to  the  War  Department :  — 

"  I  have  received  information  that  the  corps  of  Major-General  D.  H.  Hill 
is  within  the  limits  of  this  State  and  that  he  commands  this  department.  I 
referred,  in  my  last  letter,  to  some  iron-clads  being  constructed  on  the  Tar 
and  Roanoke  Rivers.  I  understand  that  the  iron-clad  on  the  Roanoke 
River  is  nearly  completed,  and  to  prevent  its  being  destroyed  by  our  gun 
boats  before  it  is  ready  for  service,  the  enemy  have  assembled  a  large 
force  at  Hamilton,  said  to  be  7,000  infantry,  1,000  cavalry,  and  seven 
batteries  of  between  six  and  eight  pieces  each.  The  fortifications  at  Rain 
bow  Bluff,  just  below  Hamilton,  destroyed  by  me  last  November,  are  being 
repaired  and  heavy  guns  being  mounted  from  Weldon.  A  considerable 
force  is  at  Weldon,  and  the  enemy  are  busily  engaged  in  fortifying  that 
point.  .  .  .  To  prevent  the  enemy  from  putting  their  threat  into  execution 
of  taking  the  town  of  Plymouth,  taking  the  gunboats  or  driving  them  out 
of  the  river,  I  propose  to  reinforce  that  point,  and  at  the  same  time  I 
have  prepared  a  strong  reconnaissance,  under  General  Prince,  to  move 
in  the  direction  of  Wilmington  and  so  prevent  too  great  an  accumulation 
of  force  on  the  Roanoke  until  such  time  as  I  shall  be  strong  enough  to 
attack  with  advantage.  The  command  is  only  waiting  for  a  suitable  con 
dition  of  the  roads  to  move,  the  recent  rains  having  rendered  them  almost 
impassable." 


NEW    BERNE   AND   ITS   GARRISON.  65 

As   before  stated,  General  Hill's   force  was  increased   by  the 
arrival  of  Garnett's  brigade  on  the   loth  of  March.     The  com 
bined  force  numbered  some  15,000  men.     On  the  nth  of  March 
General  Hill  moved  his  army  towards  New  Berne.     On  the  after 
noon  of  Friday,  March  13,  the  enemy's  scouts  were  seen  in  various 
directions.     Belger's  Battery,  the  Fifth  and  Twenty-fifth  Massa 
chusetts   Regiments,  were  sent  out  on  the  Trent  road,  leading 
towards  Kinston.     At  dawn   on  the   I4th  a   strong  force    under 
the  Confederate  General  Pettigrevv  placed  sixteen  guns  in  posi 
tion  near  a  small  fort  opposite  the  town  on  the  north,  across  the 
Neuse  River.     This  fort  was  almost  directly  opposite  the  camp 
of  the    Forty-fourth    Massachusetts    Regiment.      Two    or   three 
thousand   infantry  supported  the   artillery.     They  came   into   a 
clearing  about   sixty    yards    from    the    fort  and   began   a    rapid 
fire  of  shell  and  canister.     After  a  few  rounds  they  sent  in  to 
Colonel  Anderson,  of  the  Ninety-second  New  York  (four  hun 
dred  and  fifty  of  whom  held  the  place),  a  flag  of  truce,  demand 
ing  a  surrender,  saying  that  a  combined  attack  was  to  be  made 
that  day  on   New  Berne,  and   that  resistance  was  useless.     To 
gain  time  for  the  gunboats  to  get  into  position,  Colonel  Ander 
son  asked  for  half  an  hour  to  send  and  consult  General  Foster. 
The  flag  of  truce  went  back,  and  returned  granting  the  half-hour, 
and  when  the  time  had  expired,  returned  again  for  the  response. 
Colonel  Anderson  replied,  "  My  orders  are  to  hold  this  place, 
and  I  shall  never  surrender  it."     During  this  interval  the  Con 
federates  had  put  all  their  guns   in  position,  straightened  their 
lines,  and  formed  their  infantry  in  three  lines  behind  the  guns. 
General  Pettigrew  was  mounted  on  a  large  white  horse,  and  was 
constantly  riding  up  and  down  the  lines,  giving  orders.     When 
the  flag  of  truce  went  back  the  third  time,  and  the  result  was 
known,  the  Confederates  opened  a  rapid  and  terrific  fire.     The 
men   in  the   fort,  not  wishing  to  show  their  strength,  lay  close 
behind  the  sand  wall  and  waited  for  a  charge.     The  soldiers  in 
the   fort   prepared   for   the   expected   charge   by   biting  off  car 
tridges  and  putting  them  up  before  them  on  the  logs,  so  as  to 
be  ready  to  fire  fast.     The  camp  in  the  fort  was  completely  rid 
dled    with    balls.      A    thirty-pound    Parrott    threw    shells    across 
the  river,  striking  near  our  camp.     The  Union  gunboats  came 

5 


66  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

around  from  the  Trent  River,  and  getting  into  position,  began 
a  vigorous  shelling  of  the  woods  beyond  the  fort,  causing  the 
enemy  to  retire.  A  thirty-pound  siege-gun  of  the  enemy  burst, 
and  killed  a  number  of  their  own  men.  In  the  afternoon 
they  attempted  to  creep  up  and  plant  a  battery  in  the  woods, 
but  were  prevented  from  so  doing  by  the  constant  shelling  of  the 
fleet 

About  noontime  a  train  of  platform  cars  with  a  locomotive  in 
the  rear  stopped  before  the  camp  of  the  Fifth  Rhode  Island.  In 
twenty  minutes  that  regiment  was  on  the  train  and  moved  rapidly 
out  to  the  camp  of  the  Fifty-eighth  Pennsylvania  Regiment,  doing 
picket  duty  some  eight  miles  out  from  New  Berne,  on  the  Kinston 
road.  Reports  came  that  a  force  of  8,000  or  10,000  men,  with 
thirty  pieces  of  artillery  and  some  cavalry,  had  reached  a  point  on 
the  flank  of  the  picket  force  nearer  New  Berne  than  they  were. 
Colonel  Jones,  of  the  Fifty-eighth  Pennsylvania  Regiment,  com 
manding  the  picket-post,  was  ordered,  if  pressed,  to  retire  on  New 
Berne,  fighting  his  way  as  he  came  in.  At  dusk  the  outer  pickets 
were  driven  in.  At  night  tattoo  was  beaten  at  several  points  and 
the  cars  were  kept  running,  to  give  the  enemy  the  impression  that 
a  large  force  was  near.  The  entire  force  in  and  around  the  town 
were  kept  constantly  under  arms.  Every  preparation  was  made 
for  an  attack. 

After  threatening  the  town  at  various  points,  the  enemy  during 
the  night  disappeared  from  New  Berne.  It  was  supposed  that 
Washington,  N.  C.,  might  be  in  danger,  and  to  reinforce  and 
strengthen  the  garrison  of  that  town,  on  the  following  day 
(March  15)  eight  companies  of  the  Forty-fourth  Massachu 
setts  Regiment  were  ordered  to  Washington.  Companies  B  and 
F  of  the  regiment  were  at  this  time  doing  picket  duty  at  Batch- 
elder's  Creek,  a  few  miles  out  of  New  Berne  towards  Kinston. 
Between  this  date  (March  15)  and  April  22  the  main  body  of  the 
regiment  was  at  Washington,  N.  C.,  the  greater  part  of  the  time 
surrounded  and  hemmed  in  by  the  Confederate  troops  under 
General  D.  H.  Hill,  as  narrated  in  another  chapter. 

General  Foster  was  with  the  small  force  at  Washington,  N.  C., 
during  the  siege  of  that  town.  During  his  absence  Brig.- 
Gen.  I.  N.  Palmer,  commanding  First  Division  of  Eighteenth 


NEW   BERNE   AND    ITS    GARRISON.  67 

Army  Corps,  was  in  command  at  New  Berne.  On  April  I,  1863, 
he  wrote  from  New  Berne  to  the  War  Department,  stating  that 
General  Foster  was  at  Washington,  N.  C,  and  that  that  place 
was  being  attacked  by  the  enemy  in  force;  that  there  were  only 
parts  of  two  regiments  there  as  garrison;  and  that  three  regi 
ments  and  a  battery  of  artillery  had  been  sent  him,  but  they  were 
unable  to  reach  there,  the  enemy  having  two  batteries  on  the 
river  below  the  town.  Commander  Davenport,  United  States 
Navy,  sent  from  New  Berne  all  the  available  gunboats  to  engage 
the  batteries.  The  enemy  were  reported  as  being  in  large  force 
in  North  Carolina,  and  as  acting  on  the  offensive.  On  the  same 
date  (April  i)  an  urgent  request  by  letter  was  made  by  General 
Palmer  to  Major- General  Dix,  commanding  Department  of  Vir 
ginia  at  Fortress  Monroe,  for  assistance.  He  says :  "  There  is  a 
fair  prospect  of  success  for  the  Rebels  at  Washington  [N.  C.],  and 
if  they  succeed  this  place  will  be  attacked.  I  only  suggest  to 
you,  General,  as  '  food  for  thought,'  whether  it  would  not  be  best 
to  reinforce  this  place  with,  say,  5,000  men  temporarily.  .  .  . 
We  are  sadly  in  need  of  gunboats." 

In  response  to  this  request  General  Dix  made  preparations  to 
send  assistance,  and  had  actually  embarked  a  portion  of  his  com 
mand  on  transports  for  that  purpose,  when  General  Longstreet 
made  an  attack  on  his  front,  which  necessitated  the  withdrawal 
of  the  troops  from  the  transports,  and  their  detention  in  that 
department. 

An  attempt  was  made  to  relieve  Washington  by  a  force  sent 
overland  from  New  Berne,  which  was  unsuccessful.  On  the 
8th  of  April  an  expedition  left  New  Berne  for  the  purpose  of 
relieving  Washington,  under  the  command  of  General  Spinola. 
They  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  when  they  found  themselves 
confronted  by  a  large  force  of  the  enemy,  with  batteries  arranged 
to  command  the  roads  approaching  in  that  direction.  The 
bridges  had  been  cut  away,  and  breastworks  erected  command 
ing  every  approach.  Finding  the  contest  so  unequal,  and  the 
possibility  of  advancing  so  small,  General  Spinola  ordered  his 
command  to  fall  back,  and  returned  to  New  Berne.  At  mid 
night  of  the  1 4th  of  April  the  transport  "  Escort,"  with  the  Fifth 
Rhode  Island  Regiment  on  board,  ran  the  blockade  on  the  Tar 


68 


FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 


River,  and  passed  the  batteries,  reaching  Washington.  On  the 
following  day  General  Foster  left  Washington  on  the  "  Escort," 
passed  the  batteries,  and,  reaching  New  Berne,  collected  his  force 
and  marched  to  Washington,  to  the  successful  relief  of  that 
town. 


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CHAPTER  V. 


CAMP    LIFE. 

ATTLE  is  merely  an  incident 
in  the  life  of  a  soldier.  The 
larger  part  of  his  service  is 
spent  in  preparing  for  it.  His 
experience  might  be  compared 
with  that  of  the  professional 
athlete  who  devotes  months  to 
training  for  a  contest  which  a 
few  seconds  will  decide.  In 
foreign  nations  which  maintain 
large  standing  armies  most  of 
this  preliminary  work  is  accom 
plished  in  time  of  peace,  but  in 
ours  it  had  to  be  done  while  in 
actual  conflict.  Undue  haste 
in  forcing  battle  subjected  us 
to  the  disastrous  defeat  of  Bull 

Run,  —  a  defeat  which  was  not  an  actual  misfortune,  as  it  taught 
the  nation  that  the  soldier's  profession  demanded  capacity  and 
experience,  and  that  armies  could  not  be  made  effective  until 
they  had  attained  a  certain  homogeneity  which  time  and  dis 
cipline  alone  could  give.  For  this  reason,  among  others,  much 
of  the  time  of  most  regiments,  at  least  in  the  early  part  of  the 
war,  was  passed  in  camp. 

On  our  main  lines  of  operation  there  was  more  or  less  con 
stant  fighting;  but  at  many  places  along  the  coast  held  by  us 
mainly  as  bases  for  future  operations  our  forces  were  not  large 


/O  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

enough  to  take  the  offensive  on  any  extended  scale,  and  there 
fore  a  few  days  of  active,  hard,  spirited  work  were  followed  by 
longer  periods  of  inaction.  This  was  the  case  in  our  depart 
ment;  and  although  not  the  most  important  part  of  our  service, 
our  life  in  camp  was  not  the  least  interesting. 

Our  barracks  not  being  completed  at  the  time  we  reached 
New  Berne,  some  of  the  companies  were  quartered  in  tents  for 
a  few  days,  and  almost  as  soon  as  we  had  removed  to  the  bar 
racks  were  sent  off  on  the  Tarboro'  expedition.  Part  of  the 
regiment  returned  to  New  Berne  on  the  night  of  Thursday, 
November  13  ;  but  the  rest  did  not  land  till  the  following  noon, 
as  their  steamer  had  been  delayed.  We  went  immediately  to 
our  barracks,  and  our  camp  life  in  the  South  fairly  began.  On 
the  1 7th  Colonel  Lee  issued  Special  Order  No.  6:  — 

"As  a  slight  demonstration  of  the  affection  and  esteem  we  have  all 
learned  by  our  recent  experiences  to  feel  for  our  present  commanding 
officer,  it  is  ordered  that  the  present  regimental  camp  be  hereafter  known 
and  denoted  as  Camp  Stevenson,  and  all  letters  and  orders  shall  hereafter 
be  so  dated." 

The  name  "  Camp  Stevenson "  was  retained  as  long  as  we 
remained  on  the  old  "  Fair  Ground." 

The  camp  was  very  pleasantly  located.  It  was  situated  on 
the  southerly  side  of  the  Neuse,  very  nearly  on  the  river-bank, 
a  short  distance  westerly  from  the  town.  After  passing  the  rail 
road  station  we  came  to  the  quartermaster's  stables  and  cavalry 
corral  on  the  right  and  the  Government  wood-yard  on  the  left; 
then  the  camp  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Massachusetts  on  the  right; 
crossed  a  small  stream  spanned  by  a  light  wooden  bridge,  and 
our  camp-ground  was  reached.  Our  line  of  sentries  extended 
from  the  river  along  the  stream  to  the  bridge,  near  which  our 
guard-house  was  placed,  then  at  right  angles  to  the  stream  and 
parallel  to  the  river  for  quite  a  distance,  again  turning  at  right 
angles  and  thence  running  northerly  to  the  river. 

Beyond  us  were  the  camps  of  the  Third  and  Forty-sixth 
Massachusetts.  Opposite  to  ours,  but  farther  from  the  river, 
and  reached  by  the  same  bridge  we  have  mentioned,  was  that 
of  the  Tenth  Connecticut,  one  of  the  best  regiments  in  the 
service.  It  might  be  appropriate  to  mention  here  that  the 


CAMP   LIFE.  71 

young  lady,  a  resident  of  Stamford,  who  presented  a  standard 
to  this  regiment  just  before  it  left  for  the  seat  of  war,  afterwards 
became  the  wife  of  Charles  H.  Demeritt,  of  Company  D,  Forty- 
fourth  Massachusetts.  The  drill-ground,  which  was  used  in 
common  by  all  the  regiments  of  our  brigade,  was  west  of  the 
camp  of  the  Tenth,  and  southwesterly  from  our  own. 

The  barracks  were  situated  nearly  equidistant  from  the  easterly 
and  westerly  boundaries,  but  much  nearer  the  road  than  they 
were  the  river.  They  consisted  of  a  long  wooden  building,  one 
half  of  which  was  parallel  to  the  river  and  the  other  half  at  right 
angles  to  it,  each  part  being  divided  into  five  apartments  about 
fifty  feet  front  by  thirty-eight  feet  deep,  an  apartment  being 
assigned  to  each  company.  Those  at  right  angles  to  the  river 


were  occupied  by  the  companies  of  the  right  wing,  and  those 
parallel  to  the  river  by  the  companies  of  the  left  wing.  The  line 
officer's  quarters  were  in  separate  buildings  erected  at  either 
end  of  the  barracks,  a  room  being  assigned  to  each  company, 
and  the  tents  of  the  field  and  staff  were  pitched  in  front  of  the 
wing  occupied  by  the  right  flank  and  parallel  to  it.  The  cook 
houses —  one  to  each  company  and  one  to  its  officers — were 
built  on  to  the  rear  of  the  barracks  and  officers'  quarters,  and 
the  quartermaster  and  commissary  building  was  in  the  re-entrant 
angle  formed  by  the  two  wings  of  tKe  barracks.  The  guard-tent 
was  pitched  close  by  the  bridge,  and  the  sutler's  quarters  —  a 
structure  about  the  size  of  a  company  barrack  —  was  built  a 
short  distance  easterly  of  the  end  of  the  building  occupied  by 
the  left  wing. 


72  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

The  right  flank  is  the  post  of  honor  in  regimental  line ;  next 
in  importance  comes  the  left  flank ;  then  the  right  centre,  the 
position  of  the  color  company,  etc.  Usually  these  positions  are 
determined  by  the  seniority  of  the  captains ;  but  where  the  com 
missions  bear  the  same  date  they  are  arbitrarily  assigned  by  the 
colonel.  Beginning  at  the  right,  the  company  whose  captain 
held  the  oldest  commission  would  naturally  be  number  one ; 
the  captain  who  was  sixth  in  rank  would  be  second  in  line,  etc. ; 
the  order  being  as  follows :  — 

Position  in  line  i — 2 — 3 — 4 — 5 — 6 — 7 — 8 — 9 — 10 

Position  in  rank         i — 6 — 4 — 9 — 3 — 8 — 5 — 10 — 7 — 2 

Soon  after  we  went  into  camp  at  Readville  the  companies  were 
assigned  positions  in  the  following  order:  - 

H— C— E— I— F— D— B— K— Q— A 

On  November  21  this  order  was  changed,  Company  A  being 
given  the  right  flank,  and  the  new  order  was  — 

A— D— E— G— C— K— H— I— B— F 

This  arrangement  lasted  for  some  time.  December  28,  Cap 
tain  Reynolds  resigned  on  account  of  ill  health,  and  for  the  same 
reason  Captain  Jacob  Lombard  followed  his  example  January  14. 
There  were  not  many  changes  in  our  roster,  but  such  as  there 
were  it  may  be  well  to  particularize  here.  Dr.  Ware  died 
April  10,  and  Assistant-Surgeon  Fisher  was  promoted  to  Surgeon 
on  the  same  day.  March  26,  Daniel  McPhee  was  commissioned 
assistant-surgeon.  May  29,  our  youthful  and  popular  adjutant, 
Wallace  Hinckley,  was  transferred  to  the  corresponding  position 
in  the  Second  Heavy  Artillery,  and  was  succeeded  by  E.  C.  John 
son,  first  lieutenant  of  Company  H.  In  Company  B,  First  Lieu 
tenant  F.  H.  Forbes  resigned  Oct.  13,  1862,  before  we  left 
Readville.  Second  Lieutenant  J.  A.  Kenrick  was  promoted  to 
the  first  lieutenancy,  and  Charles  C.  Soule,  at  that  time  serving 
as  a  private  in  Company  F,  appointed  second  lieutenant.1  On 
the  acceptance  of  the  resignation  of  Captain  Jacob  Lombard, 
George  Lombard  was  commissioned  captain  of  Company  C,  and 
William  Hedge,  formerly  sergeant  in  the  same  company,  elected 
first  lieutenant.  Second  Lieutenant  Briggs  of  that  company  was 

1  Lieutenant  Soule  had  been  adjutant  of  the  Fourth  Battalion.     See  page  18. 


CAMP  LIFE.  73 

away  from  the  regiment  on  permanent  detail.  Alfred  S.  Hart- 
well,  first  lieutenant  of  Company  F,  having  resigned  to  accept  a 
commission  in  the  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts,  Second  Lieutenant 
Theodore  E.  Taylor  was  promoted,  and  First  Sergeant  Horace  S. 
Stebbins  appointed  second  lieutenant.  Captain  Reynolds's  resig 
nation  was  followed  by  the  promotion  of  Lieutenant  Weld  to  be 
captain,  Second  Lieutenant  Brown  to  be  first  lieutenant,  and 
Sergeant  John  Parkinson,  Jr.,  to  be  second  lieutenant.  These 
were  the  only  changes  among  the  commissioned  officers.  After 
Lieutenant  Johnson's  promotion  to  the  adjutancy,  Lieutenant 
Howe  acted  as  first,  and  Sergeant  Mulliken  as  second  lieutenant, 
but  no  record  can  be  found  of  their  having  been  commissioned. 
These  changes  made  necessary  a  readjustment  of  the  line  and 

on l  the  companies  took  position  as  follows:  - 

A— G— H— K— E— I — D— C— B— F 

This  was  their  order  at  the  time  the  regiment  was  mustered  out 
of  service. 

When  an  army  is  in  motion  and  rarely  bivouacs  two  successive 
nights  on  the  same  ground,  it  is.  impossible  to  carry  routine  and  red 
tape  to  such  an  extent  as  when  occupying  a  camp  that  is  relatively 
permanent.  Camp  duty  does  not  vary  much ;  and  the  following 
order,  which  was  put  in  force  soon  after  our  return  from  Tar- 
borough,  describes  essentially  the  routine  of  most  regiments :  — 

Reveille 6  a.  m. 

Breakfast 7  a.  m. 

Morning  report 7.15  a.m. 

Surgeon's  call 7.30  a.  m. 

Guard  mounting 8  a.  m. 

Squad  drill  under  sergeants 8.3010  10  a.  m. 

Drill  for  commissioned  officers  under  lieutenant-colonel  10  to  1 1  a.  m. 

Rifle  drill  for  sergeants  under  major 10  to  n  a.  m. 

Company  drills,  corporals  acting  sergeants     .     .     .     .  1 1  to  1 2  a.  m. 

Block  drill  for  sergeants  under  captains n  to  12  a.m. 

Dinner 12  a.  m. 

First  sergeant's  call i  p.  m. 

Company  drill 1.30  to  2. 30  p.m. 

Battalion  drill 3  to  4  p.  m. 

Company  parade 4.30  p.  m. 

1   Have  been  unable  to  ascertain  the  date. 


74  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

Dress  parade 5  p.  m. 

Supper 6  p.  m. 

Tattoo  and  roll-call 7.30  p.  m. 

Taps 8.30  p.  m. 

Few  of  our  men  were  used  to  early  rising,  and  having  to  turn 
out  before  daylight  was  a  new  and  not  altogether  welcome  expe 
rience  to  most  of  them.  To  be  sure,  we  were  obliged  to  retire 
early,  but  that  was  merely  aggravating  the  matter.  After  reveille 
came  a  trip  to  the  river,  where  the  men  could  enjoy  a  good  swim 
or  wade  as  preferred,  and  then  they  returned  to  the  barracks, 
where  breakfast  was  served.  However  much  some  of  us  might 
have  been  disposed  to  shirk  drill  and  guard  duty,  it  was  very 


seldom  that  one  attempted  to  shirk  his  rations.  The  food  fur 
nished  was  ample  in  quantity  and  generally  of  excellent  quality, 
although  our  cooks  would  have  scarcely  found  favor  at  Del- 
monico's,  Young's,  or  Parker's.  The  army  ration  consisted  of 
twelve  ounces  of  pork  or  bacon,  or  one  pound  and  four  ounces 
of  salt  or  fresh  beef;  one  pound  and  six  ounces  of  bread  or 
flour,  or  one  pound  of  hard  bread,  or  one  pound  and  four  ounces 
of  corn  meal  to  each  man.  To  each  one  hundred  rations,  fifteen 
pounds  of  beans  or  peas  and  ten  pounds  of  rice  or  hominy;  ten 
pounds  of  green  coffee,  or  eight  pounds  of  roasted  (or  roasted 


CAMP   LIFE. 


75 


and  ground)  coffee,  or  one  pound  and  eight  ounces  of  tea;  fifteen 
pounds  of  sugar;  four  quarts  of  vinegar;  one  pound  and  four 
ounces  of  adamantine  or  star  candles ;  four  pounds  of  soap ; 
three  pounds  and  four  ounces  of  salt;  four  ounces  of  pepper; 
one  quart  of  molasses ;  and  when  practicable,  thirty  pounds  of 
potatoes. 

The  bill  of  fare  was  not  in  all  respects  such  as  most  of  us  had 
been  used  to,  but  the  food  was  wholesome,  and  our  exercise  in 
the  open  air  gave  us  appetites  to  which  many  had  heretofore 


been  strangers.  Hunger  proved  an  excellent  sauce;  but  in  spite 
of  this  appetizer  there  was  some  growling  because  we  were  not 
furnished  with  butter  for  our  bread  or  milk  for  coffee.  All  of 
us  tried  to  eke  out  the  Government  rations  with  private  supplies; 
and  "  goodies"  from  home  were  devoured  with  far  greater  relish 
than  when  as  children  we  assisted  at  the  surreptitious  disappear 
ances  of  pie  or  cake  or  jam  from  our  mothers'  pantries. 

Among  the  native  delicacies  to  which  we  took  very  kindly 
from  the  start  were  sweet-potato  pies.  The  negroes  were  adepts 
at  this  kind  of  cookery,  and  many  of  them  made  a  comfortable 
income  by  supplying  the  boys.  There  was  a  "white  nigger" 


76  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

who  was  an  especial  favorite,  and  no  matter  how  large  his  stock, 
it  was  always  disposed  of  before  he  left  camp.  The  darkies 
must  have  thought  that  "  the  day  of  jubilee"  had  actually  arrived, 
as  we  are  sure  that  the  money  they  received  from  our  regiment 
exceeded  in  amount  the  wildest  expectations  of  their  dreams,  - 
that  is,  provided  they  were  imaginative  enough  to  indulge  in 
dreams. 

After  breakfast  the  first  sergeants  made  their  morning  reports, 
and  then  came  the  surgeon's  call.  This  was  a  general  invitation 
to  "  the  lame,  the  halt,  and  the  blind  "  to  appear  before  the 
doctor.  We  are  glad  to  believe  that  as  a  rule  few  of  our  men 
answered  this  call  unless  they  were  actually  ill ;  but  the  knowledge 
that  the  surgeons  had  power  to  excuse  men  from  duty  was  a 
great  temptation  to  some  when  they  felt  lazy,  as  all  do  at  times. 
It  was  amusing  to  watch  those  who  reported ;  to  see  the  different 
expressions  of  countenance  and  hear  the  different  stories  each 
would  tell.  The  stereotyped  formula  of  the  surgeon  was :  "Let 
me  see  your  tongue.  Barnaby,  give  this  man  some  C.  C.  drops." 
"  Barnaby,  give  this  man  half  dozen  compound  cathartic  pills." 
"  Barnaby,  give  this  man  a  dose  of  castor-oil."  "  What  do  you 
mean  by  coming  here?  There's  nothing  the  matter  with  you. 
Go  to  your  quarters."  Occasionally  a  case  would  require  more 
attention  than  could  be  given  in  barracks,  when  the  man  would 
be  sent  to  the  regimental  hospital ;  and  if  the  accounts  of  those 
who  went  are  reliable,  nowhere  could  one  have  received  better 
care  or  kinder  treatment  than  was  given  by  our  surgeons  and 
their  assistants.  Some  who  never  reported  at  surgeon's  call  but 
once  or  twice,  thought  the  surgeons  were  unnecessarily  severe ; 
but  it  was  often  difficult  to  discriminate.  Among  one  thousand 
men  there  must  always  be  a  percentage  under  medical  treatment, 
but  we  think  the  general  health  of  our  regiment  compared  favor 
ably  with  that  of  any  in  the  department. 

Then  came  guard  mounting.  The  detail  was  usually  announced 
at  tattoo  roll-call  the  previous  evening.  The  ceremony  was  a 
dress  parade  in  miniature,  with  some  additions  and  a  few  sub 
tractions.  Generally,  quite  an  audience  assembled  to  witness  it. 
After  the  ritual  as  laid  down  in  the  Army  Regulations  had  been 
fully  complied  with,  the  old  guard  was  relieved  and  dismissed, 


CAMP  LIFE.  77 

and  the  care  of  the  camp  placed  in  charge  of  the  new  guard  for 
the  succeeding  twenty-four  hours. 

Guard  duty  was  in  some  respects  very  pleasant.  The  turn 
was  two  hours  on  and  four  off,  although  the  men  were  not 
allowed  to  leave  the  vicinity  of  the  guard-tent  without  permis 
sion  when  off  duty.  Some  of  the  posts  were  very  desirable.  In 
stormy  weather  the  colonel  was  always  considerate,  and  sentries 
that  could  be  spared  were  relieved  from  their  posts  and  allowed 
to  return  to  their  quarters.  At  least  once  during  the  twenty-four 
hours  they  were  called  out  to  receive  the  "  grand  rounds."  When 
ever  a  general  officer,  the  commandant  of  the  camp,  or  the  officer 
of  the  day,  approached  the  guard-house  it  was  expected  that  the 
guard  would  be  turned  out ;  but  the  colonel,  and  generally  the 
officer  of  the  day,  were  satisfied  with  receiving  this  honor  once 
from  each  guard,  and  left  word  not  to  turn  it  out  a  second  time. 
Before  reporting  for  duty  each  man  was  required  to  don  his 
dress  suit,  have  his  boots  nicely  polished,  his  brasses  bright,  his 
gun  clean,  his  gloves  of  spotless  white,  etc.  If  a  soldier  trans 
gressed  in  any  particular  he  received  some  very  fatherly  advice 
given  in  a  very  paternal  manner.  Sentries  were  required  to  carry 
their  pieces  as  prescribed  in  the  Army  Regulations,  to  salute  all 
commissioned  officers  passing  near  their  beats,  to  prevent  un 
authorized  persons  from  entering  the  confines  of  the  camp,  and 
to  preserve  order  generally.  If  a  sentry  wished  to  be  relieved 
for  any  purpose  he  had  to  call  for  the  corporal  of  the  guard  and 
give  the  number  of  his  post.  Some  of  our  men  could  not  get 
this  idea,  and  none  of  us  will  ever  forget  the  call  of  "  Corporal  of 
the  Guard,  Post  Nagle."  The  soldier  who  instituted  this  call  was, 
by  the  way,  one  of  the  best  men  in  the  regiment,  and  whatever 
orders  he  received  \vere  always  obeyed  to  the  letter.  After  being 
on  duty  the  men  were  excused  from  the  time  they  were  relieved 
in  the  morning  until  dress  parade  that  afternoon. 

Camp  guard  was  pleasant  enough,  but  few  if  any  of  the  men 
enjoyed  being  detailed  for  police  guard.  The  duties  of  the  latter 
were  that  of  cleaning  up  camp,  for  which  many  thought  a  force 
of  contrabands  should  have  been  regularly  engaged ;  and  there 
were  few  in  the  regiment  who  would  not  willingly  have  paid 
any  reasonable  assessment  to  provide  a  substitute.  There  was 


78  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

nothing  especially  fascinating  in  sweeping  up  the  camp-grounds, 
particularly  when  as  large  as  ours,  in  emptying  swill-pails,  digging 
sinks,  etc. ;  but  the  work  had  to  be  done,  and  some  one  had  to 
do  it.  There  was  one  satisfaction,  however, — we  could  wear  our 
old  clothes  and  did  not  wear  our  equipments ;  and  from  guard 
mounting  in  the  morning  to  dress  parade  in  the  afternoon,  except 
when  actually  engaged  in  work  —  a  period  rarely  exceeding  three 
hours  —  our  time  was  our  own. 


As  soon  as  guard  mounting  was  finished,  all  the  men  excepting 
those  on  guard  or  who  had  just  come  off,  the  detailed  men,  and 
those  on  sick  leave,  were  taken  out  for  company  drill.  The 
number  was  rarely  more  than  half  the  effective  strength  of  the 
company.  The  length  and  severity  of  drill  varied  materially, 
some  of  the  officers  keeping  their  men  hard  at  work  during 
the  whole  of  the  time  assigned,  while  others  gave  frequent 
"  rests,"  and  brought  their  companies  into  camp  long  before  its 
expiration. 

After  dinner  came  company  drill  again,  and  then  battalion  drill. 
Occasionally  the  programme  was  diversified  by  a  brigade  drill 
under  General  Stevenson.  The  labor  of  preparing  for  the  dress 


CAMP   LIFE.  79 

parade  which  followed  was  not  inconsiderable,  as  we  usually  re 
turned  from  drill  hot,  tired,  and  dusty,  and  it  was  essential  that 
on  parade  we  should  appear  in  apple-pie  order.  A  regiment  of 
bootblacks  would  have  found  business  excellent  had  they  visited 
us  about  that  time  in  the  day.  Apropos  of  dress  parade.  On 
leaving  Readville  we  thought  the  regiment  was  well  drilled,  and 
probably  it  was,  compared  with  the  militia  generally ;  but  the  first 
time  we  saw  the  Tenth  Connecticut  go  through  the  Manual,  it 
was  a  revelation  to  us ;  and  although  before  being  mustered 
out  we  had  undoubtedly  attained  nearly  or  quite  as  great  pro 
ficiency,  none  will  ever  forget  the  feeling  of  despair  which 
came  over  us  at  the  idea  of  ever  being  able  to  equal  such  pre 
cision.  Supper  immediately  followed  dress  parade.  Later  came 
tattoo  and  roll-call  and  finally  taps,  at  which  sound  all  lights  in 
the  quarters  of  enlisted  men  were  extinguished  and  the  day  was 
ended. 

Saturday  afternoon  we  often  had  inspection  of  barracks,  and 
Sunday  morning  came  the  regular  weekly  inspection.  Saturday 
was  "  cleaning-up  day."  The  officers  were  very  particular  about 
the  condition  of  camp  and  barracks.  The  least  thing  amiss  was 
quickly  noticed.  One  plan  adopted  soon  after  our  arrival  at 
New  Berne  to  promote  good  order  and  cleanliness,  which  proved 
very  successful,  was  to  detail  a  corporal  in  charge  of  each  com 
pany  barrack  for  a  week  at  a  time.  The  officer  of  the  day  would 
send  in  a  detailed  report  to  headquarters,  and  the  company  that 
he  reported  "  best "  was  excused  from  guard  duty  for  the  follow 
ing  day,  the  men  who  would  otherwise  have  gone  on  guard  were 
furloughed,  and  the  company  he  reported  "  worst  "  had  to  furnish 
double  its  allotted  number  of  men.  The  competition  between  the 
companies  was  very  keen  and  often  it  was  difficult  to  decide. 
On  Sunday  morning  each  company  was  mustered  in  its  own 
street ;  it  formed  in  two  ranks,  and  the  inspecting  officer  made 
a  careful  examination  of  the  condition  of  the  uniforms,  muskets, 
cartridge-boxes,  knapsacks,  etc.  Woe  unto  the  unlucky  private 
who  displayed  anything  contraband  among  his  possessions  or 
whose  equipments  were  not  up  to  the  standard  of  brilliancy ! 
As  the  officer  passed  down  the  ranks  he  would  step  in  front  of 
each  soldier,  examine  his  appearance  carefully,  take  his  musket, 


8o 


FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 


look  scrutinizingly  at  the  polished  work,  test  the  action  of  the 
lock,  and  then  drawing  out  the  ramrod,  which  had  been  previously 
placed  in  the  barrel,  rub  the  end  of  it  across  his  immaculate 
white  glove.  If  it  left  a  mark,  be  it  never  so  slight,  the  soldier 
was  in  a  state  of  fear  and  trembling  till  his  doom  was  announced. 
One  week  a  non-commissioned  officer  who  had  a  constitutional 
aversion  to  house-cleaning  was  detailed  as  "  corporal  of  the  bar 
racks."  The  man  was  disposed  to  decline  the  honor,  but  in  the 
army,  resignations  from  the  rank  and  file  are  not  in  order;  he 


accordingly  resolved  if  possible  to  win  new  laurels  in  this  posi 
tion,  albeit  in  opposition  to  his  natural  instincts,  and  succeeded 
so  well  that  his  company  was  relieved  from  guard  duty  at  least 
once  if  not  twice  during  the  week  that  he  was  in  charge.  En 
couraged  by  success,  he  was  tempted  to  still  higher  effort;  and 
on  Saturday,  after  having  attended  to  his  duties  relating  to  the 
barracks,  he  turned  his  attention  to  his  own  equipment.  The 
labor  spent  in  brightening  and  cleaning  his  musket,  belt,  car 
tridge-box,  and  clothes,  the  expense  of  rags,  tripoli,  and  soap 
was  simply  enormous.  Sunday  morning  dawned  bright  and 
sunny.  The  company  was  ordered  out  for  the  regular  weekly 
inspection.  The  corporal  took  his  place  in  the  front  rank, 


CAMP   LIFE.  8 1 

confident  that  he  would  pass  with  flying  colors.  The  inspecting 
officer  wiped  the  musket  with  a  clean  handkerchief  or  a  pair  of 
white  gloves.  He  gazed  at  the  corporal  with  a  look  of  great 
interest.  The  surgeon  reached  the  spot.  He  looked  at  the 
young  man's  clothes  and  then  at  him.  The  corporal  was  de 
lighted.  He  felt  sure  that  he  was  to  be  publicly  complimented ; 
and  his  intuition  was  correct,  for  the  surgeon,  after  a  silent  look 
at  the  inspecting  officer  as  if  for  corroboration,  exclaimed,  "  Cor 
poral  -  — ,*  you  're  the  dirtiest  man  in  the  regiment !  " 

One  of  the  boys,  in  writing  home  under  date  of  November  16, 
says:  "  At  3  P.  M.  yesterday  (Saturday)  had  inspection  by  Gen 
eral  Foster,  who  complimented  us  highly.  Said  he  never  saw  a 
better-looking  set  of  men,  —  men  who  conducted  themselves  bet 
ter,  or  kept  their  persons,  equipments,  and  muskets  in  better  con 
dition.  One  of  the  boys  in  Company  E,  —  John  Wyeth, —  in  the 
skirmish  a  fortnight  ago  to-day  had  a  bullet  pass  through  the 
stock  of  his  musket,  partially  shattering  it.  General  Foster  in 
quired  the  cause,  and  being  told  the  circumstances,  said :  '  Keep 
that  musket,  and  send  it  home  as  a  trophy  by  which  to  remem 
ber  your  first  fight.  I  will  see  that  you  are  provided  with  an 
other,  and  as  good  a  one  as  Uncle  Sam  can  make.'  That  fellow 
grew  half  an  inch  while  the  general  was  talking  to  him." 

Soon  after  reaching  New  Berne,  one  by  one  our  comrades 
would  disappear  from  daily  drill  or  roll-call,  and  on  making  in 
quiries  regarding  the  cause,  we  would  learn  that  they  had  been 
detailed.  The  administration  of  an  army  corps,  or  even  of  a 
brigade,  requires  quite  a  force  of  clerks  at  headquarters  and  in 
the  various  departments,  few  of  whom  are  civilians ;  and  details 
were  made  for  duty  not  only  in  our  own  camp,  but  at  brigade, 
division,  and  corps  headquarters.  A  part  of  the  time  the  regi 
ment  was  without  its  colonel,  as  he  was  commanding  the  brigade, 
his  place  being  supplied  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Cabot.  One  of 
the  first  men  we  lost  from  this  cause  was  Lieutenant  J.  H.  Blake, 
Jr.,  of  Company  D,  who  was  on  the  staff  of  General  Stevenson 
during  the  time  we  were  in  North  Carolina.  His  detail  was 
dated  October  27.  Lieutenants  Briggs,  of  Company  C,  and 
Field,  of  Company  I,  were  most  of  the  time  on  the  signal  corps, 

1  Out  of  respect  to  his  friends  the  name  of  the  man  is  suppressed. 

6 


82 


FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 


and  other  of  our  officers  were  away  for  longer  or  shorter  periods ; 
while  yet  others,  being  in  charge  of  special  work,  did  not  do  duty 
with  their  companies.  Among  the  various  positions  to  which  the 
detailed  men  were  assigned  were  those  of  clerks  at  the  different 
headquarters  and  departments,  pioneers,  ambulance  men,  musi 
cians  and  members  of  the  band,  signal-corps,  wagoners,  nurses, 
orderlies,  cooks,  harness-makers,  etc.  John  F.  Bacon,  of  Com 
pany  D.,  was  first  assistant  to  the  chief  carpenter,  Mr.  Wilson ; 
Wheelock  and  Curtis,  of  F,  were  on  duty  as  draughtsmen;  C.  E. 
Wheeler,  of  D,  was  sign-painter-in-chief  of  the  department;  and 
it  was  currently  reported  that  one  of  the  men  had  been  called 
upon  to  run  Mrs.  General  Foster's  sewing-machine.  In  some 
respects  it  was  much  more  agreeable  to  be  detailed  than  to  re 
main  with  the  regiment;  but,  on  the  whole,  we  rather  think  those 
who  "  stuck  by  the  old  flag,"  even  if  the  "  appropriation  "  was 
small,  had  the  best  time.  Among  the  papers  which  the  colonel 
has  kindly  loaned  the  committee  is  a  list  of  the  drummers,  fifers, 
and  members  of  the  band,  which  will  undoubtedly  be  interesting 
to  our  readers  :  — 


DRUMMERS. 

E.  C.  Lee  .  .  .  Co.  A 
G.  W  Brooks .  . 
I.  Jones  .  .  . 
G.  W.  Springer  . 
W.  W.  Woodward 
G.  F.  Pulsifer  . 
J.  H.  Myers  . 

C.  F.  Morse    .     . 
J.  M.  Gibbs    .     . 
E.  S.  Fisher   .     . 

E.  Hayden      .     . 

F.  O.  Peterson    . 

D.  F    Redman     . 
C.  A.  Annable      . 
A.  Fisher   . 


FIFERS. 
G.  E.  Wetherbee  Co.  B 


BAND. 

N.  H.  Dadmun  .  Co.  A 

S.  T.  Shackford  "  A 

T.  F.  Gibbs      .  "  A 

E.  Graef .     .     .  "  B 

A.  Hemenway    .  "  D 

C.  H.  Park  .     .  "  E 

E.  A.  Ramsay  .  "  E 
N.  H.  Ingraham  "  F 
W.  F.  Ingraham  "  F 

C.  Cobb  .     .     .  "  F 

D.  Cobb  .     .     .  "  F 

F.  W.  Clapp     .  «  H 
C.  E    Hook.     .  »  H 
C.  E.  Hovey      .  '•  H 

E.  S.  Hemenway  "  H 

G.  F.  Hall    .     .  "  I 
H.  A.  Spear      .  "  K 
J.  A.  Lewis  .     .  "  K 
J.  Fowler      .     .  "  K 
H.  B.  Hartshorn  "  K 

From  those  who  failed  to  stand  the  fatigues  of  the  Tarboro'  ex 
pedition  a  detachment  was  selected,  styled  the  "  Invalid  Guard," 


B 

J.  E.  Leigh  ton  . 

"     D 

C 

C.  B.  Curtis     . 

"    H 

C 

E.  P.  Upham  . 

"     I 

D 

F.  A.  Hartshorn 

"     K 

E 

E 

F 

F 

G 

H 

H 

I 

I 

K 

CAMP    LIFE.  83 

which  was  sent  to  garrison  a  block-house  at  Brice's  Creek,  a  picket 
station  some  miles  outside  of  New  Berne.  The  duty  was  light, 
but  the  men  say  they  were  very  lonesome.  A  list  of  these  will 
be  found  on  page  251.  Several  whose  names  appear  here  did  not 
join  the  "  block-house  squad,"  as  they  were  detailed  to  various 
positions  in  the  town.  As  might  be  imagined,  time  hung  heavily 
on  the  hands  of  those  doing  garrison  duty  at  this  out-of-the-way 
spot,  and  the  men  were  always  ready  to  welcome  any  incident 
that  would  break  the  monotony.  An  anecdote  is  told,  more 
amusing  to  those  who  perpetrated  the  joke  than  to  its  victim. 
One  day  several  of  the  men  crossed  the  creek.  After  enjoying 
themselves  for  some  time  on  the  farther  side,  an  alarm  was  given 
that  the  "  Johnnies  "  were  coming.  All  but  one  of  the  party 
rushed  for  the  boat,  and  before  their  comrade  could  reach  the 
shore,  they  were  on  their  own  side  of  the  creek.  It  was  too  deep 
to  ford,  the  man  could  not  swim,  the  boys  were  calling  to  him 
that  if  he  remained  on  the  other  side  he  would  surely  be  cap 
tured,  and  his  entreaties  "  to  bring  over  the  boat  "  were  heart 
rending.  After  tormenting  him  until  they  were  tired,  the  boat 
was  sent  for  him  and  the  joke  explained;  but  it  is  doubtful  if  he 
ever  forgave  the  perpetrators. 

November  27  was  Thanksgiving  Day,  and  was  celebrated  very 
generally  by  the  members  of  the  Forty-fourth.  On  the  26th,  at 
dress  parade,  General  Order  No.  9  was  read :  - 

"  To-morrow  being  Thanksgiving  Day  in  this  department,  there  will  be 
no  duties.  Captains  will  issue  twice  the  number  of  passes,  and  taps  will 
not  be  beat  till  10  p.  M." 

All  the  men  had  been  very  much  interested  in  the  arrange 
ments  for  this  holiday.  Companies  A,  C,  E,  F,  and  G  had  com 
pany  dinners,  and  Companies  B  and  D  divided  up  into  squads. 
Diarists  in  H,  I,  and  K  fail  to  give  an  account  of  their  doings. 
Each  company  celebrated  on  its  own  account.  The  most  elabo 
rate  programme  was  laid  out  by  Company  A,  a  full  account  of 
which  is  contained  in  the  diary  lent  the  committee  by  Sergeant 
E.  R.  Rand,  which,  by  the  way,  with  that  of  Everett,  of  C,  are 
two  of  the  fullest  and  most  interesting  placed  at  their  disposal. 
Most  of  the  comrades  of  Company  A  followed  the  example  of 


84  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

our  friend  Silas  Wegg  in  the  "  Mutual  Friend,"  and  on  this  occa 
sion  "  dropped  into  poetry."  Although  somewhat  of  a  machine 
character,  the  effusions  were  replete  with  wit  and  personal  allu 
sions,  and  created  a  great  deal  of  merriment.  First  Sergeant 
Edmands  presided.  A.  L.  Butler,  afterwards  killed  at  Whitehall, 
was  orator  of  the  day,  and  his  speech  is  reported  in  full  in  the 
"Bay  State  Forty-fourth,"  —  a  magazine  to  which  reference  will  be 
made  later  in  this  chapter.  Sergeant  Clark  read  a  poem  after 
the  style  of  "  On  Linden,  when  the  sun  was  low,"  which  began, 
"  In  New  Berne,  when  the  sun  was  high."  Henry  Lyon  read  an 
ode  appropriate  to  the  occasion,  and  then  C.  C.  Murdock  gave 
an  account  of  the  operations  of  the  regiment  up  to  that  time,  his 
style  being  evidently  modelled  after  that  of  the  "  New  Gospel  of 
Peace."  Hiram  Hubbard,  Jr.,  officiated  as  toast-master,  and 
responses  were  made  by  Sergeant  Clark,  Captain  Richardson, 
Lieutenant  Coffin,  Corporal  Conant,  and  Sergeant  Rogers.  A 
letter  was  read  from  Colonel  Lee,  and  there  was  frequent  singing 
by  the  company.  A  song  written  by  A.  S.  Bickmore  was  ren 
dered  by  S.  T.  Shackford,  and  then  Sergeant  Rand  read  some 
machine  poetry  full  of  local  hits,  and  introducing  the  name  of 
every  member  of  the  company,  with  the  exception  of  one  which 
was  inadvertently  omitted. 

The  bill  of  fare  as  given  in  bulk  consisted  of  one  barrel  ham 
sandwiches,  ten  gallons  oysters,  one  hundred  pounds  fresh 
beef,  one  and  a  half  barrels  apple-sauce,  two  barrels  Baldwin 
apples,  two  kegs  ginger-snaps,  twelve  "  big "  plum-puddings, 
and  numerous  smaller  articles,  with  cigars  ad  libitum.  Ser 
geant  Rand,  in  commenting  on  the  dinner,  notes :  "  Sat  down 
with  tightly  buttoned  coats,  but  —  "  Language  probably  failed 
him. 

One  mess  of  eighteen  men  from  Company  B  went  down  town 
to  dinner.  They  paid  fifty  cents  per  plate,  and  the  menu  con 
sisted  of  fried  trout,  roast  beef,  beefsteak,  roast  goose,  onions, 
sweet  and  Irish  potatoes,  and  apple  and  potato  pies. 

In  Company  F  the  after-dinner  exercises  were  of  rather  a 
formal  character,  and  were  decidedly  the  most  finished,  from  a 
literary  standpoint.  Private  Francis  C.  Hopkinson  presided,  and 
his  speech  was  really  eloquent.  Company  F  had  many  graduates 


CAMP   LIFE.  85 

and  undergraduates  of  Harvard  College  in  its  ranks,  and  the 
University  might  well  have  been  proud  of  its  representation  in 
that  company.  During  the  exercises  every  available  inch  of 
space  was  occupied  by  men  from  other  companies,  and  those 
who  could  not  get  into  the  barrack  thronged  the  doors  and  win 
dows.  The  Cobb  brothers  were  as  usual  among  the  enter 
tainers,  and  their  music  added  not  a  little  to  the  pleasure  of 
the  anniversary. 

In  Company  D  there  were  a  few  set  speeches,  and  some 
extemporaneous  ones  in  response  to  a  series  of  toasts,  but  no 
attempt  at  any  elaborate  performance.  In  Company  G  the  lit 
erary  exercises  followed  immediately  upon  the  dinner.  Private 
E.  G.  Scuclder  presided,  and  responses  were  very  general  from, 
members  of  the  company.  In  the  evening  Companies  E  and  D 
united  in  giving  an  entertainment  in  Company  E's  quarters,  of 
which  the  following  was  the  programme :  — 

PART  I. 

Song.  —  "  Happy  are  we  to-night,  boys  "  .     .     .     . 

Declamation.  —  "  England's  Interference  "     .     .     .     F.  S.  Wheeler. 

Song.  —  "  Oft  in  the  stilly  night  " 

Declamation.  —  "  The  Dying  Alchemist  "  .     .     .     .     S.  G.  Rawson. 

Readings.  —  Selections J.  W.  Cartwright. 

Song.  —  "  Viva  1'America  " 

Declamation.  —  "  Spartacus  to  the  Gladiators  "    .     .     J.  H.  Waterman. 
Declamation.  —  "  The  Beauties  of  Law  "    .     .     .     .     H.  T.  Reed. 

"  Contraband's  Visit  " Myers  and  Bryant. 

Song.  —  "  Gideon's  Band  " 

Intermission. 

PART   II. 

Song.  —  "  Rock  me  to  sleep,  mother  "  .     .     .     .     . 

Declamation.  —  "  Garibaldi's  Entree  to  Naples  "      .     G.  H.  Van  Voorhis 

Song.  —  "  There  's  music  in  the  air  " 

Imitation  of  Celebrated  Actors H.  T.  Reed. 

Declamation.  —  "  Rienzi's  Address  to  the  Romans  "  .     N.  R.  Twitchell. 

Old  Folks'  Concert  (Father  Kemp) 

Ending  with  "  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  by  the  audience. 


86  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

Companies  C  and  H  each  had  an  entertainment  in  the  evening, 
but  no  reports  have  been  found,  and  the  members  of  these  com 
panies,  together  with  those  of  B,  I,  and  K,  have  failed  to  record 
the  proceedings  so  far  as  the  historical  committee  have  been 
able  to  discover. 

At  the  Thanksgiving  festivities  in  Company  E's  barracks  Lieu 
tenant  Cumston  was  called  upon  for  some  remarks.  Towards  the 
end  he  said  there  was  a  Boston  man  in  camp  gathering  statistics, 
and  among  the  things  he  wished  to  find  out  was  how  many  of 
the  men  smoked.  The  lieutenant  thought  it  would  be  better  to 
reverse  the  question,  and  ask  how  many  did  not  smoke,  and 
requested  such  "  to  stand  up  and  be  counted."  Several  arose, 
and  among  them  some  of  the  most  inveterate  smokers  in  the 
company,  evidently  desirous  that  the  "  statistics  "  should  indicate 
Company  E  to  be  very  abstemious.  As  soon  as  the  men  were 
on  their  feet,  the  lieutenant  remarked  that  he  had  some  cigars, 
not  quite  enough  to  supply  the  whole  company,  but  as  there 
were  so  many  non-smokers  he  thought  they  would  go  round ; 
those  who  did  not  smoke  of  course  must  not  take  any. 

During  the  morning  the  men  amused  themselves  with  football, 
base-ball,  etc.,  and  in  the  evening  Company  A  gave  a  variety 
entertainment  in  the  quarters,  beginning  with  a  mock  dress 
parade  tinder  command  of  Sergeant  Wilkins,  and  ending  with 
dancing,  singing,  readings,  and  acrobatic  performances,  the  bar 
racks  being  crowded  by  men  from  the  other  companies. 

Not  an  incident  happened  to  mar  the  festivities  of  the  pro 
gramme  ;  the  presence  of  friends  who  had  heretofore  passed  this 
holiday  with  us  being  all  that  was  needed  to  make  our  enjoyment 
perfect.  Colonel  Lee  complimented  the  regiment  in  General 
Order  No.  u,  read  at  dress  parade  the  following  day:  - 

"  Colonel  Lee  desires  to  congratulate  the  companies  of  his  command 
on  the  success  of  their  Thanksgiving  festivities,  and  to  express  his  extreme 
satisfaction  at  the  orderly  manner  in  which  the  day  closed,  and  the  sol 
dierly  discipline  shown  in  the  perfect  silence  of  the  camp  after  taps," 

It  is  no  easy  matter  to  enforce  strict  discipline  in  a  regiment, 
especially  when  the  thousand  men  who  compose  it  are  young, 
active,  and  overflowing  with  animal  spirits.  The  writer  enjoys  a 


CAMP   LIFE.  87 

very  wide  acquaintance  among  his  comrades  of  the  Forty-fourth, 
and  can  conscientiously  say  that,  so  far  as  his  knowledge  extends, 
he  does  not  believe  there  was  a  single  member  of  the  regiment 
who  was  maliciously  inclined,  or  who  disobeyed  any  order 
through  a  spirit  of  insubordination.  The  feeling  of  the  men 
was  well  shown  in  the  case  of  a  member  of  Company  D,  a  boy 
of  only  sixteen,  who  had  been  sent  to  the  guard-house  for  im 
pertinence  to  First  Sergeant  Tripp.  On  his  release,  he  imme 
diately  hunted  up  the  orderly  and  said  to  him,  "  You  did  just 
right  to  put  me  in  the  guard-house.  I  should  n't  have  had  a 
d — d  bit  of  respect  for  you  if  you  hadn't.  It's  just  what  I  de 
served."  As  a  rule,  obedience  in  our  camp  was  prompt  and 
discipline  excellent,  but  there  were  times  when  punishments  were 
inflicted. 

One  of  the  most  difficult  problems  to  be  solved  by  an  officer 
is  how  to  punish  an  infraction  of  the  rules  when  committed  by 
but  one  or  two  men,  and  these  undetected.  The  innocent  then 
have  to  suffer  with  the  guilty.  One  night  about  midnight  there 
was  a  loud  explosion  in  one  of  the  barracks.  Had  it  occurred 
twenty  years  later,  it  would  doubtless  have  been  attributed  to  dy 
namite.  Every  one  jumped  from  his  bunk.  The  officers  rushed 
in,  and  the  captain,  in  a  voice  that  expressed  his  feelings,  de 
manded  the  name  of  the  person  responsible  for  the  disturbance. 
There  was  an  awful  pause.  Probably  not  more  than  two  or  three 
men  in  the  company  knew  the  offender.  "  If  I  do  not  find  out 
the  name  of  the  man  who  caused  this  trouble  within  one  minute, 
I  will  have  the  whole  company  out  for  drill,"  thundered  the  cap 
tain.  The  minute  passed  very  rapidly.  "  Orderly,  fall  in  Com 
pany  D  for  drill,"  was  the  command.  The  men  fell  in,  the 
sergeants  searched  the  bunks  carefully  so  there  should  be  no 
skulking,  one  poor  fellow  who  had  been  sleeping  through  all  the 
disturbance  was  rudely  awakened  and  ordered  to  join  his  com 
rades,  —  for  what  he  knew  not,  —  and  the  company  marched  out 
on  the  parade-ground.  It  was  rather  cold,  and  in  going  through 
the  different  manoeuvres  the  men  showed  very  much  more  enthu 
siasm  than  was  absolutely  necessary.  After  about  half  an  hour 
the  company  was  ordered  back  to  the  barracks,  the  captain  being 
satisfied  that  his  experiment  was  rather  enjoyed  by  the  boys. 


88  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

For  a  long  while  the  standing  conundrum  was,  "  Who  put  the 
powder  in  the  stove  ?  "  Company  G  and  one  or  two  of  the  other 
companies  had  a  similar  experience,  with  a  like  result. 

Company  I  held  the  championship  for  throwing  hard-tack. 
As  soon  as  taps  had  sounded,  "  whiz  "  would  go  a  piece  of  hard 
tack  from  one  end  of  the  barrack,  followed  by  a  profane  ejacula 
tion  from  the  man  it  chanced  to  hit  at  the  other.  At  first  the  shots 
were  scattering,  then  began  "  firing  by  file,  firing  by  platoon," 
and  finally,  "  volley  by  company."  The  officers  endeavored  to 
stop  the  performance,  but  their  efforts  were  at  first  unsuccessful. 
One  night  a  watchful  lieutenant  entered  the  barrack  with  a  dark- 
lantern,  prepared  to  turn  its  flash  in  the  direction  from  which 
came  the  first  shot.  One  of  the  men,  suspecting  his  design,  crept 
from  his  bunk,  and  throwing  open  the  stove  door,  the  light  from 
the  fire  unmasked  the  intruder.  The  lieutenant  seized  the  man 
and  had  him  marched  to  the  guard-house,  where  he  passed  the 
night  in  spite  of  his  earnest  protestations  that  he  was  merely 
going  to  replenish  the  fire.  As  "midnight  drills"  were  apparently 
enjoyed  by  the  men,  the  officers  adopted  the  novel  plan  of  cut 
ting  off  the  hard-tack  rations.  This  unheard-of  severity  created 
a  consternation.  Men  who  would  never  touch  a  piece  when  able 
to  get  anything  else,  immediately  declared  it  was  their  main  arti 
cle  of  diet,  and  that  they  would  inevitably  starve  if  it  were  not 
furnished.  The  sudden  hunger  for  hard-tack  was  amazing. 
Company  I  appealed  to  the  others  by  means  of  notices  posted 
throughout  the  camp,  and  it  was  not  long  before  the  most  gen 
erous  contributions  began  to  arrive.  The  excitement  lasted  a 
day  or  two ;  but  the  captain  finally  talked  to  the  men,  they  ac 
knowledged  they  had  been  wrong,  and  the  rations  were  restored. 
Allusion  to  this  incident  is  made  in  the  opera. 

Almost  as  soon  as  our  camp  was  established,  contrabands 
began  to  throng  in.  They  could  be  hired  for  a  very  small  sum, 
and  in  a  few  days  there  was  scarcely  a  mess  in  the  regiment  that 
had  not  engaged  a  servant.  Tt  was  quite  convenient  to  call  on 
some  one  to  wash  your  tin  plate  or  dipper,  or  polish  your  boots, 
or  dust  your  coat,  instead  of  having  to  perform  these  menial 
duties  for  yourself;  but  there  were  so  many  employed  that  they 
soon  became  a  nuisance,  and  on  December  4,  much  to  the 


CAMP   LIFE.  89 

regret  of  most  of  us,  an  order  was  issued  sending  out  of  camp  all 
negroes  not  servants  of  commissioned  officers,  or  provided  with 

o 

a  pass  granted  by  one  of  our  field  officers.  Some  of  the  ser 
geants  and  a  few  of  the  corporals  succeeded  in  retaining  the 
contrabands  they  had  engaged  ;  but  as  a  rule  the  order  was  rigidly 
enforced. 

Notwithstanding  that  the  prescribed  orders  of  camp  routine 
provided  some  occupation  for  almost  every  minute  in  the  day, 
we  found  many  leisure  hours.  Rainy  days  there  were  when 
drilling  could  not  be  thought  of;  the  guard  was  excused  on  the 
day  following  its  term  of  duty;  there  were  always  several  off  on 
account  of  illness ;  and  in  one  way  and  another  we  had  a  good 
deal  of  time  at  our  own  disposal. 

Nothing  gave  us  more  pleasure  than  to  receive  a  large  number 
of  letters  when  our  assistant-postmaster  Fish  distributed  the  mail, 
and  those  whose  names  were  not  called  might  have  served  an 
artist  as  a  study  for  "  Disappointment."  We  have  sometimes 
thought  it  impossible  for  any  regiment  to  have  devoted  more 
attention  to  letter-writing  than  we  did.  At  any  hour  of  the  day, 
from  reveille  to  taps,  some  of  the  boys  would  be  found  with 
paper  and  pencil,  jotting  down  for  the  information  of  their  friends 
incidents  of  their  daily  life.  On  the  march  or  in  the  camp  it 
was  the  same,  and  at  every  halt  out  would  come  the  unfinished 
letter  and  a  few  lines  be  added  before  the  order  "  Forward  "  was 
given.  We  had  some  regular  newspaper  correspondents  in  our 
ranks,  and  the  list  of  "  occasionals "  would  have  embraced  half 
the  membership.  Many  of  the  men  used  to  boast  that  they  had 
sent  from  ten  to  twenty  letters  by  a  single  mail,  and  had  received 
a  number  equally  large.  The  general  prevalence  of  this  habit 
was  especially  remarkable,  and  there  were  comparatively  few 
who  did  not  send  and  receive  at  least  one  letter  by  every 
mail.  It  is  estimated  that  on  the  arrival  of  each  steamer  at  least 
fifteen  hundred  letters  reached  our  camp.  At  home  it  was  quite 
fashionable  for  young  ladies  to  have  a  large  number  of  army  cor 
respondents,  and  columns  of  newspapers  were  filled  with  adver 
tisements  asking  for  the  addresses  of  those  who  were  willing  to 
write.  Frequently  the  boys  would  receive  letters  from  entire 
strangers ;  not  unfrequently  they  wrote  first,  and  their  replies 


9O  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

often  resulted  in  establishing  a  most  entertaining  correspondence. 
Sometimes  the  real  name  would  be  given,  but  more  frequently 
the  correspondence  would  be  conducted  under  a  nom-de-plume. 
A  large  number  of  letters  have  been  submitted  to  the  committee 
for  examination,  and  it  is  surprising  how  "  chatty  "  and  readable 


most  of  these  missives  are.  This  constant  and  frequent  commu 
nication  with  home  friends  was  undoubtedly  very  potential  in 
keeping  up  the  morale  of  the  regiment. 

As  our  respected  Uncle  Samuel  did  not  supply  regimental 
tailors,  and  as  clothes  would  wear  out,  buttons  disappear,  and 
holes  be  unexpectedly  found  in  stockings,  no  small  part  of  our 
leisure  was  devoted  to  mending.  Some  of  the  boys  proved  them 
selves  very  skilful  in  the  use  of  the  needle,  while  others  made 


CAMP  LIFE. 


but  poor  work  of  their  attempts.  Stockings  were  darned,  but 
the  verbal  darning  was  far  more  in  accordance  with  the  feelings 
of  the  workman  than  the  yarn  process.  Most  of  us  were  pro 
vided  with  "  housewives  "  containing  a  supply  of  thread,  needles, 
yarn,  buttons,  etc. ;  and  it  was  really  pathetic  to  watch  a  poor  fel 
low  who  had  always  depended  on  the  kind  offices  of  mother  or 
sister  or  wife  to  keep  his  raiment  in  repair,  trying  to  mend  a  rent 
or  sew  on  a  button,  and  the  first  sergeant  calling  on  the  company 

to  "  fall  in,  lively."  It 
seemed  too  as  if  the 
repairs  were  always 
needed  at  the  most 
inconvenient  times 
and  seasons ;  as  for 
instance  just  as  the 
assembly  for  guard 


mounting    or   dress 
parade  had  sounded. 

Next  to  letters,  news 
papers  were  more  eagerly  wel 
comed  than  anything  that  could 
be  sent  us.  Our  friends  at  home 
kept  us  well  supplied  with  locals, 
but  the  only  ones  we  could  get  of 

recent  date  were  the  New  York  dailies.  These  papers  were  not 
glanced  at  and  then  thrown  aside ;  they  were  read  carefully, 
advertisements  and  all,  and  then  passed  along  to  our  less  fortu 
nate  comrades  who  had  failed  to  secure  a  copy.  We  are  confi 
dent  we  were  as  conversant  with  all  published  news  as  any  of  our 
friends  at  the  North.  News  from  our  own  department  received 
especial  attention,  and  some  of  the  correspondents  would  not 
have  felt  flattered  could  they  have  overheard  the  criticisms  on 
their  published  letters.  The  correspondent  of  the  "  New  York 
Herald  "  was  a  most  entertaining,  newsy  writer,  but  correspond 
ingly  unreliable ;  as  for  instance  giving  the  credit  of  our  success 
at  Kinston  to  the  Ninth  New  Jersey,  when  all  who  participated 
in  that  action  knew  it  was  the  charge  of  the  Tenth  Connecticut 
that  decided  the  battle.  If  our  boys  could  have  interviewed  that 


92  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

correspondent  immediately  after  they  had  read  his  account  of 
the  expedition,  the  surgeons  would  have  had  another  patient. 
There  was  a  local  paper  published  at  New  Berne,  which  con 
tained  most  of  the  general  orders  and  some  matters  of  local 
interest,  but  had  very  little  general  news. 

After  the  battle  of  New  Berne  the  Twenty-seventh  Massachu 
setts  discovered  several  weather-beaten  cornets,  bearing  the 
names  of  "  Tolman  &  Russell,  Boston,"  hanging  from  some  trees, 
which  the  "Johnnies"  had  left  in  their  hasty  flight,  and  they 
naturally  took  possession  of  them.  On  learning  when  we  re 
turned  from  the  Tarboro'  expedition  that  these  instruments 
would  be  placed  at  our  disposal  if  we  wished  them,  the  idea  of 
a  regimental  band  suggested  itself;  a  sufficient  number  of  men 
were  at  once  detailed,  and  practice  began  immediately.  As 
early  as  December  some  of  our  members  appealed  to  our  friends, 
through  the  Boston  press,  to  send  us  a  new  and  complete  set. 
The  Goldsboro'  expedition  delayed  progress  somewhat;  but 
on  January  4  the  band  made  its  first  appearance  at  dress  parade 
and  was  most  enthusiastically  received.  It  improved  rapidly,  and 
our  demands  for  a  complete  set  of  instruments  became  more 
urgent.  Early  in  this  month,  after  waiting  for  some  one  else  to 
take  the  initiative,  Mr.  George  B.  Foster,  father  of  Corporal  Fos 
ter  of  Company  K,  advertised  that  he  would  receive  subscriptions 
for  this  purpose.  Before  noon  of  the  day  the  notice  appeared 
he  had  received  fifty-nine  responses,  when  Mr.  George  S.  Hall, 
father  of  George  F.  Hall  of  Company  I,  called  on  him,  requested 
him  to  cancel  the  notice,  as  he  intended  to  supply  these  instru 
ments  himself.  They  reached  us  February  14,  and  being  a  much 
fuller  set  than  those  we  had  been  using,  an  additional  detail  was 
required.  If  Mr.  Hall  enjoyed  half  as  much  in  giving  them  to 
the  regiment  as  the  regiment  did  in  receiving  them,  he  was 
many  fold  repaid  for  his  generosity.  After  our  return  these 
instruments  were  sent  to  the  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts,  but 
what  became  of  them  when  that  regiment  was  mustered  out 
has  not  been  learned.  One  of  our  men  (Macomber,  of  Com 
pany  F),  in  writing  to  a  Boston  paper,  under  date  of  Febru 
ary  17,  says: — 


CAMP   LIFE.  93 

"  Our  band  received  their  instruments  by  this  steamer  ('  Augusta  Dins- 
more  ')  and  Sunday  evening  appeared  on  dress  parade  with  them.  If  the 
people  who  so  kindly  and  generously  contributed  towards  presenting  them 
to  our  regiment  could  hear  the  thanks  which  are  literally  showered  on  their 
heads  by  the  boys,  they  would  never  regret  their  kindness,  or  the  happi 
ness  they  have  caused  in  all  our  breasts.  It  is  with  a  feeling  of  gratitude, 
of  contentment,  and  happiness,  we  witness  the  kindness  and  remembrance 
from  our  friends  at  home." 

The  curiosity  to  see  these  instruments  was  most  intense 
among  the  men,  and  on  the  day  following  their  receipt  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  Cabot,  then  in  command  of  camp,  issued  the 
following  order :  — 

General  Order  No.  30. 

Hereafter  no  person  will  enter  the  enclosure  formed  by  the  tents  de 
voted  to  the  band. 

Any  person  violating  this  order  will  subject  himself  to  punishment. 
By  command  of, 

Lieut. -Col.  E.  C.  CABOT. 

This  order  caused  much  indignation,  as  curiosity  had  been 
raised  to  the  highest  pitch ;  but  the  order  was  enforced,  and  we 
did  not  see  the  new  instruments  till  Sunday. 

Nothing  excited  more  general  interest  than  the  arrival  of  the 
express.  Indeed,  it  was  currently  reported  that  the  coming  of 
the  Forty-third,  Forty-fourth,  and  Forty-fifth  Regiments  obliged 
the  express  company  to  put  on  some  additional  steamers.  We 
had  many  friends  at  home,  and  the  most  common  way  in  which 
they  expressed  their  interest  was  by  sending  a  box  of  "goodies," 
which  it  would  be  superfluous  to  say  was  always  kindly  received. 
It  would  be  impossible  to  mention  one  half  the  things  that  were 
sent  us.  "Corporal,"  in  referring  to  this  matter,  gives  the  follow 
ing  list  of  articles  received  in  one  box,  as  a  model  to  be  followed 
by  those  desirous  of  contributing:  "A  large  sealed  tin  box  of 
mince-pies  and  cake,  a  large  paper  of  ditto,  a  tin  box  of  sugar, 
a  tin  box  of  pepper,  a  jar  of  pickles,  a  box  of  eggs,  together 
with  apples,  pears,  pins,  stationery,  and  last  but  not  least,  letters." 
The  father  of  Hezekiah  Brown  of  Company  G  sent  down  a  large 
box  of  troches,  which  the  son  distributed  with  the  utmost  liber 
ality  and  impartiality.  B.  F.  Brown  &  Co.  contributed  a  gener- 


94  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

ous  supply  of  their  liquid  blacking.  Regulations  regarding  the 
admission  of  any  kind  of  spirituous  liquor  were  very  stringent, 
and  many  were  the  means  adopted  to  evade  them.  The  mother 
of  one  of  our  boys,  although  strongly  opposed  to  the  use  of  any 
intoxicant  as  a  beverage,  recognized  the  benefit  of  alcohol  as  a 
medicine,  and  fearing  that  her  son  would  be  unable  to  procure 
any  except  through  direct  application  to  the  medical  department, 
resolved  to  try  and  supply  him.  She  took  a  quantity  of  nice 
oranges,  removed  the  peel  and  quartered  them,  being  careful  not 
to  break  the  thin  covering  of  the  pulp,  put  them  into  a  large  jar, 
and  then  filled  it  to  the  brim  with  choice  whiskey.  The  jar  was 
tightly  sealed,  and  reached  the  young  man  safely.  The  day  after 
its  arrival  chanced  to  be  inspection  of  barracks.  As  the  inspect 
ing  officer  was  going  his  rounds,  the  soldier  inquired  of  him  if  he 
had  ever  eaten  any  orange  pickle.  "  Orange  pickle  !  "  he  replied  ; 
"I  never  heard  of  it."  "Would  you  like  to  try  some?"  The 
answer  being  in  the  affirmative,  a  sample  was  given  him.  The 
officer  tasted,  looked  at  the  soldier,  tasted  again  ;  a  peculiar  smile 
passed  over  his  face  as  he  said,  "  I  don't  think  pickling  improves 
the  orange,  but  I'd  like  another  sample  of  that  pickle."  Mason 
of  Company  E  was  especially  favored  by  having  large  quantities 
of  canned  fruit  and  vegetables  sent  him,  and  the  opening  of 
his  boxes  always  attracted  a  curious  and  sympathizing  crowd. 
Thanksgiving  and  Christmas  were  the  two  occasions  when  our 
friends  especially  remembered  us,  and  there  were  very  few  mem 
bers  of  the  regiment  who  did  not  receive  some  reminder  from 
home.  About  Thanksgiving  Mr.  Frederick  Grant,  of  Boston, 
chartered  a  schooner,  the  "  Flatten  Sea,"  and  started  for  New 
Berne  with  a  load  of  delicacies  for  the  Forty-third,  Forty-fourth, 
and  Forty-fifth  Regiments.  Unfortunately,  the  wind  and  weather 
were  adverse,  and  the  schooner  was  very  long  in  making  the 
passage.  Most  of  the  perishable  articles  were  spoiled,  and  many 
of  us  were  disappointed  at  not  receiving  our  "  Thanksgiving,"  as 
we  had  expected. 

Another  box  catalogued  by  "  Corporal "  contained  tea,  coffee, 
sugar,  butter,  pepper,  salt,  capsicum,  cheese,  gingerbread,  confec 
tioner's  cake,  Bologna  sausage,  condensed  milk,  smoked  halibut, 
pepper-box,  camp-knife,  matches,  ink,  mince-pies,  candy,  tomato 


CAMP    LIFE. 


95 


catchup,  apples,  horse-radish,  emery-paper,  sardines,  cigars, 
smoking-tobacco,  candles,  soap,  newspapers,  pictorials,  letters, 
pickles,  and  cholera  mixture.  (Perhaps  the  latter  was  another 
name  for  orange  pickle.) 

Mr.  C.  P.  Lewis,  of  the  firm  of  William  K.  Lewis  &  Brother, 
who  had  some  friends  in  the  regiment,  was  very  generous,  and 
kept  them  well  supplied  with  condensed  milk,  olives,  sardines, 
and  a  good  assortment  of  canned  meats  and  vegetables.  One 


mess,  on  January  i,  1863,  dined  off  salmon  and  green  peas 
furnished  by  this  gentleman's  liberality.  The  contents  of  one 
more  box  will  perhaps  suffice  to  show  the  endless  variety  of 
articles  that  were  sent  us:  preserve,  tobacco,  two  boxes  cigars, 
matches,  a  ream  of  letter-paper,  doughnuts,  gingerbread,  quills, 
sticking-plaster,  envelopes,  "  Les  Miserables"  (sometimes  called 
"  Lee's  miserables,"  but  which  was  certainly  a  misnomer  if  ap 
plied  to  us)  newspapers,  apples,  lemons,  glue,  butter,  sugar,  silk 
handkerchiefs,  gun-rags,  chocolate,  woollen  blanket,  maple  sugar, 
rubber  boots,  one  or  two  packages  for  comrades  of  the  recipient, 
some  hairpins,  shell  back  combs,  and  jewelry,  for  "  properties " 


96  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

in  our  dramatic  performances  and  opera;   and  an  old  jacket,  coat, 
and  hat,  which  were  probably  put  in  for  "  ballast." 

In  this  connection  it  may  not  be  inappropriate  to  allude  to  a 
few  of  the  names  by  which  the  Forty-fourth  was  sometimes 
designated,  especially  as  one  of  them  was  deemed  of  sufficient 
importance  by  a  candidate  for  the  governorship  of  Massachusetts, 
—  himself  an  officer  whose  reputation  is  world-wide,  —  to  merit 
extended  mention  during  the  heated  campaign  of  1883.  About 
the  time  we  went  to  Readville,  one  of  the  Boston  newspapers 
stated  that  we  had  in  our  ranks  "  the  pets  of  many  a  household," 
and  from  this  expression  we  were  called  the  "pet"  regiment. 
Our  men  paid  more  attention  to  dress  and  personal  appearance 
than  is  usual  among  enlisted  men,  as  they  failed  to  comprehend 
wrhy  the  fact  of  being  soldiers  should  cause  them  to  become  lax 
in  this  respect ;  and  from  this  circumstance  we  were  sometimes 
referred  to  as  the  "  kid  glove,"  "  patent  leather,"  "white  choker," 
or  "gold  watch"  regiment.  But  the  name  by  which  we  were 
most  generally  known,  and  of  which  the  highly  distinguished 
candidate  above  referred  to  meanly  endeavored  to  rob  us  by  at 
tributing  it  to  the  Forty-fifth  Massachusetts,  was  that  of  "  seed 
cakes."  About  Thanksgiving  the  Forty-fourth  received  a  very 
large  number  of  boxes  from  home,  —  many  more  than  the  men  of 
some  of  our  sister  regiments  thought  its  fair  share.  One  day 
quite  a  knot  of  soldiers  had  gathered  in  the  town  of  New  Berne, 
when  one  of  our  men  rather  exultingly  spoke  of  the  large 
number  of  packages  we  had  been  receiving.  "There's  nothing 
surprising  in  that,"  retorted  one  of  his  evidently  envious  com 
panions  ;  "  your  boys  can't  come  down  to  salt  horse  and  hard 
tack  like  the  rest  of  us,  and  if  your  folks  did  n't  keep  you 
supplied  with  seed-cakes,  you  'd  starve  to  death !  " 

This  joke  had  just  enough  foundation  in  fact  to  create  a  hearty 
laugh,  and  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth,  both  in  the  regiment 
itself  and  outside,  until  "  the  seed-cake  regiment "  became  the 
principal  sobriquet  of  the  Forty-fourth,  —  a  nickname  of  which 
the  boys  are  rather  proud. 

It  was  much  easier  to  get  boxes  into  the  department  than  it 
was  to  get  them  out.  On  the  arrival  of  an  express  steamer 
packages  were  rapidly  separated,  then  loaded  on  the  regimental 


CAMP   LIFE.  97 

wagons,  and  sent  to  the  various  camps  for  distribution.  The 
guard,  and  some  men  specially  detailed  for  that  purpose,  watched 
each  box  as  it  came  from  the  vessel,  and  detained  only  such  as 
they  suspected  might  contain  articles  "  contraband  of  war."  To 
send  a  box  out  of  the  department,  unless  some  stratagem  was 
used,  a  provost-marshal's  permit  was  required  in  every  case ;  and 
this  was  about  as  difficult  to  get,  if  it  contained  anything  worth 
sending  home,  especially  articles  obtained  while  in  the  service, 
as  it  was  for  a  private  to  be  allowed  to  sit  down  in  the  Gaston 
House  dining-room  at  any  time  subsequent  to  our  first  morn 
ing  in  New  Berne.  One  of  our  men  found  a  volume  of  "  Audu- 
bon's  Birds  "  in  a  deserted  shanty  just  outside  of  Williamstown. 
He  carried  it  on  his  back  during  the  rest  of  the  expedition,  and 
on  reaching  New  Berne  tried  to  get  permission  to  send  it  North, 
but  did  not  succeed.  It  finally  reached  his  home  in  Wisconsin, 
in  spite  of  the  provost-marshal.  Most  of  the  men  who  had  me 
chanical  tastes  and  ingenuity  devoted  part  of  their  leisure  to 
manufacturing  brier  or  clay  pipes,  or  horn  jewelry.  Brier-root 
was  found  in  great  plenty  in  the  swamp  just  beyond  our  drill- 
ground.  When  dug  it  was  very  soft,  but  in  drying  it  was  apt  to 
crack,  —  a  trouble  that  we  found  with  the  clay  pipes  as  well. 
Those  who  experimented  with  horn  jewelry  were  more  generally 
successful,  and  many  of  our  men  now  have  studs,  watch-charms, 
scarf-rings,  etc.,  they  made  while  in  North  Carolina. 

No  place  in  the  world  will  equal  a  camp  for  gossip.  Rumors 
seemed  to  spring  spontaneously  from  the  ground,  and  no  matter 
how  improbable  one  might  be  it  always  found  believers.  One 
minute  the  report  would  come  that  the  regiment  was  ordered  to 
South  Carolina  or  to  the  Potomac,  followed  immediately  by  the 
statement,  "  based  on  official  knowledge,"  that  we  were  to  remain 
in  camp  till  our  muster  out;  the  next  hour  came  news  that  we 
were  going  on  picket,  and  instantly  would  be  circulated  a  counter 
report  that  we  were  to  go  on  provost.  All  sorts  of  stories  regard 
ing  the  prominent  officers  were  in  the  air,  —  as  to  what  this  one 
was  going  to  do  and  that  one  was  not  going  to  do  ;  where  this 
one  was  going  and  where  the  other  was  not  going,  etc.  Did 
space  permit,  it  would  be  interesting  to  give  some  specimens. 
One  rumor  which  gained  some  currency  may  well  be  stated, 

7 


98  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

especially  as  it  is  one  of  the  very  few  that  can  be  traced  from 
its  inception.  The  morning  of  the  I4th  of  March,  the  day  of 
the  attack  on  New  Berne,  all  was  excitement.  The  air  was  full 
of  authentic  statements  of  what  we  were  going  to  do,  of  where 
we  were  going,  of  changes  in  command,  of  Rebel  successes,  of 
contemplated  manoeuvres,  etc.  Davis  Howard  had  been  on  guard 
that  night  and  posted  in  front  of  the  colonel's  tent.  As  soon  as 
the  guard  was  relieved  he  rushed  into  the  barracks  and  called  for 
Corporal  Haines.  The  latter  was  the  regular  correspondent  of  the 
"  Boston  Herald,"  and  known  as  such  to  most  of  the  members 
of  the  regiment.  Whenever  any  startling  news  had  been  learned, 
Haines  was  always  the  first  to  whom  it  was  given.  "  Corporal " 
was  writing  to  his  paper  an  account  of  the  attack,  when  Dave 
came  up  apparently  out  of  breath.  "  Corporal,  I  Ve  just  come 
off  duty  at  the  colonel's  tent,  and  have  got  a  piece  of  news  that 
interests  every  man  in  the  regiment.  It 's  the  most  important 
thing  that 's  happened  to  us  for  a  long  time."  So  many  wild 
and  improbable  stories  had  been  brought  him,  that  the  corporal 
was  incredulous ;  but  the  evident  sincerity  of  Howard's  manner 
was  impressive.  All  the  boys  within  hearing  distance  anxiously 
awaited  the  disclosure.  "  I  Ve  just  come  from  headquarters," 
repeated  Dave.  "  A  little  while  ago  one  of  Foster's  orderlies 
came  into  camp  with  his  horse  on  a  run  and  handed  colonel  a 
letter.  Lee  wrote  something  in  reply  and  the  orderly  went  off 
on  a  gallop.  Just  as  I  was  relieved,  another  one  came,  and  as 
soon  as  the  colonel  read  the  paper  delivered  him  he  seemed  very 
much  excited  and  sent  for  the  lieutenant-colonel  and  major.  I 
made  up  my  mind  it  was  something  very  important,  and  that  if 
I  could,  I  would  know  what  it  was  about."  All  of  us  had  seen 
orderlies  riding  into  the  camp  and  then  riding  out  again,  and  were 
ready  to  believe  that  some  important  movements  were  about  tak 
ing  place.  We  knew  that  Howard  was  a  fellow  of  resources,  and 
that  if  he  could  not  succeed  in  getting  this  information  probably 
others  would  fail.  "  I  succeeded  in  overhearing  what  he  told 
Cabot  and  Dabney,"  added  Dave,  with  much  apparent  earnest 
ness,  "  and  find  that  Pettigrew  has  sent  over  a  flag  of  truce^  de 
manding  the  surrender  of  New  Berne.  Foster  refused  to  give 
up  the  place.  Pettigrew  then  sent  back  word  that  he  would 


CAMP   LIFE.  99 

shell  the  town  immediately,  and  has  ordered  the  removal  of  the 
women  and  children  and  the  Forty-fourth  Massachusetts  before 
he  begins,  and  has  given  Foster  two  hours  to  get  us  out.  The 
general  has  asked  Lee  where  he  wants  the  regiment  to  go  to. 
Colonel  told  Cabot  that  he  thought  it  best  to  let  the  men  vote 
on  the  question,  so  I  suppose  you  will  all  hear  about  it  quite 
soon.  He  says  he  wants  to  stay  and  let  them  shell."  The  laugh 
that  followed  Dave's  disclosure  was  tremendous,  but  he  had  to 
run  for  his  life.  It  is  difficult  to  realize  the  surprise  and  amuse 
ment  of  our  men  when  they  read  in  the  first  New  York  paper 
that  reached  them  after  the  raising  of  the  siege  of  Washington, 
a  full  account  of  the  sending  and  receipt  of  this  flag  of  truce 
stated  as  an  absolute  fact,  only  the  locality  had  been  transferred 
to  Washington.  In  this  connection  it  is  reported  that  some  years 
after  the  war  Colonel  Lee  was  travelling  in  the  West,  when  a  gen 
tleman  whom  he  met,  finding  that  he  had  been  in  command  of  a 
regiment,  asked  him  which  one.  On  being  told  the  Forty-fourth 
Massachusetts,  he  inquired  if  that  was  not  the  one  ordered  out  of 
Washington  with  the  women  and  children.  "  Yes,"  replied  our 
colonel.  "  Well,  if  I  were  in  your  place  I  should  be  ashamed 
to  acknowledge  the  fact,"  remarked  his  questioner.  "Why  so?" 
said  our  colonel ;  "  the  Rebels  well  knew  that  they  could  not  get 
into  Washington  as  long  as  our  regiment  stayed  there,  and 
thought  that  if  they  sent  such  a  message  Foster  might  order  us 
out.  He  was  not  kind  enough  to  oblige  them ;  the  regiment  did 
not  go  out ;  the  '  Johnnies  '  did  not  get  in.  I  think  Hill  paid  us 
a  high  compliment  and  have  always  felt  proud  of  it."  Whether 
this  conversation  ever  occurred  we  do  not  know.  We  have  been 
unwilling  to  ask  the  colonel,  lest  he  might  deny  it  and  so  spoil 
a  good  story. 

Soon  after  our  return  from  the  Goldsboro'  expedition  it  be 
came  fashionable  among  the  boys  to  sit  for  their  pictures.  A 
style  called  "  melainotype "  was  most  in  vogue,  and  it  was  a 
matter  of  pride  to  see  who  could  send  home  one  showing  the 
greatest  appearance  of  dilapidation.  A  corporal  of  Company  D 
had  one  taken  which  was  a  great  success  in  this  respect.  A 
netted  worsted  smoking-cap  replaced  the  regulation  fatigue  arti 
cle  ;  one  suspender  was  visible,  the  other  concealed ;  one  leg  of 


100  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

the  pants  was  torn  off  just  below  the  knee,  the  other  showing  an 
enormous  hole  made  by  friction  of  canteen  and  haversack ;  the 
shoes  were  not  mates.  The  original  garments  were  worn  by  the 
owner  for  the  last  time  when  he  sat  for  the  picture,  as  they  were 
immediately  presented  to  one  of  the  numerous  contrabands  who 
thronged  the  camp.  Among  the  corporal's  home  friends  was  an 
elderly  aunt,  one  of  the  kindest-hearted  old  ladies  that  ever  lived, 
who  looked  at  everything  from  the  most  charitable  view,  but  was 
a  warm  friend  of  the  "boys,"  and  would  quickly  resent  anything 
that  she  thought  savored  of  inattention  or  neglect  towards  them. 
On  receipt  of  this  picture  she  was  most  indignant,  and  wrote 
Governor  Andrew  in  very  strong  terms,  requesting  him  to  per 
sonally  investigate  and  see  that  Massachusetts  soldiers  were  pro 
vided  with  suitable  clothing.  J.  J.  Wyeth,  of  Company  E,  sent 
.home  one  of  a  similar  character.  His  fond  mother  gazed  at  it 
sadly  for  some  minutes  and  then  remarked,  "If  John  has  become 
as  dissipated  and  reckless  as  this  picture  shows  him  to  be  I  hope 
he  will  never  return."  Little  did  we  imagine  such  would  be  the 
effect  of  a  desire  to  let  our  friends  realize  our  appearance  "  in 
camp."  It  took  a  large  amount  of  correspondence  to  explain 
matters. 

Most  of  our  time  was  spent  in  the  open  air.  Generally  the 
weather  was  warm,  and  it  was  pleasant  to  sit  in  front  of  our 
barracks  after  tattoo  and  listen  to  the  singing,  which  was  one  of 
our  daily  pleasures.  Charley  Ewer,  till  he  was  wounded  at  White 
hall,  was  the  acknowledged  chorister.  There  were  good  vocalists 
in  all  the  companies,  and  rarely  did  a  pleasant  evening  pass  but 
"  Kingdom  Coming,"  "  Louisiana  Lowlands,"  "  Rest  for  the 
Weary,"  or  some  other  of  the  popular  airs  were  heard  in  the 
camp. 

The  entertainments  given  on  Thanksgiving  were  so  successful 
that  they  were  followed  by  others,  each  more  elaborate  than 
those  preceding.  One  was  given  on  New  Year's  evening,  the 
programme  being  as  follows:  — 


CAMP   LIFE. 


101 


S  IE  O  O  3ST 


ramaiit 

Hfi 

BY     THE 

44TH  REGIMENTAL  DRAMATIC  ASSOCIATION, 

ON   NEW   YEAR'S   EVENING,  JAN.   1,   1863. 


PROLOGUE—  (Original.) 

OVERTURE. 

RECITATION  —  (Selected.) 
SONG. 

RECITATION. 
RECITATION  — (Humorous.) 


Harry  T.  Reed. 

Band. 

F.  D.  Wheeler. 

Quartette  Club. 

C.  A.  Chase. 

E.  L.  Hill. 


:B 


]sr  13. 


After  which  the  Grand  Final  Scene  from 

The   Merchant   of   Venice. 


SHYLOCK, 
DUKE, 
ANTONIO, 
BASSANIO, 
GRATIANO, 
PORTIA, 
SOLANIO, 

H.  T.  Reed. 
W.  Howard. 
De  F.  Safforcl. 
F.  I).  Wheeler. 
J.  H.  Waterman. 
L.  Millar. 
F.  A.  Sayer. 

B  J±  N  13. 

To  be  followed  by 


OPENING  CHORUS. 
LOUISIANA   LOWLANDS. 
DOLLY   DAY. 
SHELLS   OF  THE   OCEAN. 

SUSIANNA   SIMPKINS. 
HAM   FAT   MAN. 


Company. 
H.  Howard. 
F.  A.  Sayer. 
H.  Howard. 
F.  A.  Sayer. 
J.  H.  Myers. 


The  whole  to  conclude  with 

A  Terrible  Cat-ass-trophe  on  the  North  Atlantic  R.R. 

CHARACTERS  BY  THE  COMPANY. 

Director, H.  T.  REED. 

Assistant  Manager, De  F.  SAFFORD. 

Secretary, W.  HOWARD. 

Treasurer, J.  M.  WATERMAN. 

EXECUTIVE   COMMITTEE: 
F.  D.  Wheeler,  t.   Millar,  F.    A.   Sayer. 


IO2  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

The  next  affair,  which  was  entirely  impromptu,  occurred  in  the 
barracks  of  Company  D,  January  19.  One  of  the  boys  was  play 
ing  a  dancing  tune  on  the  flute.  The  idea  of  a  ball  was  suggested. 
No  time  could  be  taken  to  prepare  suitable  costumes,  but  it  is 
doubtful  if  the  grandest  society  ball  was  more  enjoyed  by  the 
participants  than  was  this.  It  was  all  too  brief;  so  a  more  elabo 
rate  one  was  arranged  for  the  following  evening  in  the  same 
barrack.  The  card  of  invitation  was  as  follows :  — 

GRAND   BALL. 

SIR, —  The  pleasure  of  your  company,  with  ladies,  is  respectfully  solicited  at  a 
GRAND  BALL,  to  be  held  in  the  Grand  Parlor  of  the  P'IFTH  AVENUE  HOTEL, 
(No.  4  New  Berne),  on  TUESDAY  EVENING,  January  20,  1863. 

MANAGERS. 

C.  H.  DEMERITT,  WILLARD  HOWARD,  J.  E.  LEIGHTON. 

COMMITTEE   OF   ARRANGEMENTS. 

BHNJ.  F.  BURCHSTED,      C.  D.  NEWELL,      W.  G.  REED,  H.  D.  STANWOOD, 

W.  E.  SAVERY,  F.  A.  SAYER,         F.  M.  FLANDERS,      H.  HOWARD, 

J.  B.  GARDNER,  JOE  SIMONDS,        CHARLES  ADAMS,      G.  W.  HIGHT. 

MUSIC. 

Quintzelbottom's  Grand  Quadrille  and  Serenade  Band. 
(One   Violin.} 

Tickets  $00.03  each,  to  be  had  of  the  Managers. 
No  Postage  Stamps  or  Sutler's  Checks  taken  in  payment. 
N.  B.  —  LADIES  will  be  allowed  to  smoke. 

Persons  wishing  carriages  will  please  apply  to  LIEUTENANT  WHITE,  of  the 
Ambulance  Corpse. 

Persons  wishing  anything  stronger  than  Water  are  referred  to  the  "  Sanitary." 

The  following  was  the  order  of  dances :  — 

1.  SICILIAN  CIRCLE,  March  to  Tarboro'. 

2.  QUADRILLE,  New  England  Guards. 

3.  POLKA  QUADRILLE,  Kinston  Galop. 

4.  QUADRILLE,  Yankee  Doodle. 

INTERMISSION. 
WALTZ,  POLKA  REDOWA,  SCHOTTISCHE. 

5.  QUADRILLE,  Bloody  44th  Quickstep. 

6.  LES  LANCIERS,  Connecticut  loth  March. 

7.  QUADRILLE,  Lee's  March. 

8.  CONTRA  (  Virginia  Keel),  Rebel's  Last  Skedaddle. 


CAMP   LIFE.  103 

Shelter-tents,  artistically  draped,  made  excellent  skirts  for  the 
ladies,  albeit  they  were  rather  short  and  not  over-clean.  They 
were  expanded  by  hoops  procured  from  some  of  the  quarter 
master's  empty  barrels.  A  blouse  with  the  sleeves  cut  off  at 
the  shoulder  and  the  collar  turned  down  as  far  as  possible 
made  a  very  respectable  waist,  although  not  as  low  in  the  neck 
as  many  fashionable  belles  would  demand.  Evidently  the  cos 
tumes  must  have  been  effective,  for  a  member  of  another  com 
pany,  after  glancing  in  at  the  door,  returned  to  his  own  quarters, 
polished  his  boots,  brushed  his  hair,  donned  his  dress-coat,  and 
claimed  to  have  tried  to  find  a  paper  collar  before  he  ventured 
into  the  ball-room.  "  I  was  n't  going  in  among  ladies  looking  as 
rough  as  I  did,"  he  afterwards  explained.  The  last  call  of  the 
"  Lancers  "  was  original :  — "  Promenade  to  the  bar  for  quinine 
rations."  The  barracks  were  crowded,  and  the  officers  enjoyed 
the  novelty  no  less  than  the  men. 

On  January  24,  Company  E,  determined  not  to  be  outdone, 
gave  a  masked  ball  at  its  barracks,  and  extended  an  invitation 
to  members  of  other  companies.  It  was  wonderful,  with  the 
limited  means  at  our  disposal,  what  a  variety  of  costumes  were 
got  up  at  such  short  notice.  Among  the  characters  represented 
were  an  old  gentleman  and  lady  of  '76,  attended  by  their  negro 
servant.  The  lady  wore  a  real  crinoline  and  wished  the  specta 
tors  to  know  it.  There  were  personifications  of  "  His  Satanic 
Majesty,"  "  Pilgrim  Fathers,"  policemen,  farmers,  harlequins, 
clowns,  monks,  ladies  tall  and  ladies  short,  ladies  stout  and  ladies 
slender,  ladies  white,  black,  and  Indian  red.  Nearly  all  the  char 
acters  were  admirably  sustained.  Several  of  the  officers  of  the 
Tenth  Connecticut  were  present  on  invitation  and  evidently  en 
joyed  the  occasion. 

The  rivalry  between  Companies  D  and  E  not  being  settled, 
they  agreed  to  combine  efforts,  and  the  result  surpassed  all  pre 
vious  attempts.  The  managerial  card  is  here  reproduced :  — 

GRAND   MASQUERADE   BALL. 

SIR,  —  The  pleasure  of  your  company,  with  ladies,  is  respectfully  solicited  at  a 
GRAND  BAL  MASQUE  to  be  given  under  the  auspices  of  the  44th  Regimental 
Dramatic  Association,  at  the  Barracks  of  Companies  D  and  E,  on 

MONDAY   EVENING,    FEB.  23,  1863. 


104  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

The  management  desire  to  state  that  nothing  will  be  left  undone  to  render  it 
the  party  of  the  season. 

FLOOR   MANAGERS. 
WILLARD  HOWARD,  J.  B.  RICE,  HARRY  T.  REED. 

COMMITTEE   OF   ARRANGEMENTS. 

SERGEANT  G.  L.  TRIPP,      Company  D      PRIVATE  F.  A.  SAYER,  Company  D 

"         H.  A.  HOMER,          "  E  "  H.  HOWARD,  "  D 

CORPORAL  Z.  T.  HAINES,           "  D  "  J.  H.  WATERMAN,  Jr.        "  D 

J.  B.  GARDNER,         "  D  "  A.  H.  BRADISH,  "  E 

J.  \Y.  CARTWRIGHT,  "  E  "  C.  H.  DEMERITT,  "  D 

"         M.  E.  BOYD,              "  D  "  D.  HOWARD,  "  D 

C.  E.  TUCKER,         "  E  "  E.  L.  HILL,  "  A 

In  order  to  defray  the  expenses,  Tickets  will  be  placed  at  10  cents  each,  to  be  pro 
cured  of  the  Managers.  No  tickets  sold  at  the  door.  Visitors  are  expected  to  appear 
c'«  costume. 

Music  by  the  New  Berne  Quadrille  Band,  five  pieces. 

The  Management  desire  to  express  their  sincere  thanks  to  the  Officers  of  this 
Regiment  for  the  many  favors  granted  by  them  in  aid  of  this  undertaking. 

The  hall  will  be  appropriately  decorated. 

By  permission  of  the  officers  the  partition  was  removed  be 
tween  the  barracks  of  the  two  companies,  making  a  large  room 
about  thirty- eight  by  one  hundred  feet.  The  decorations  were 
elaborate;  and  thanks  to  Charley  Wheeler's  skilful  brush,  the 
walls  were  adorned  with  appropriate  mottoes.  Corporals  Rice 
and  Cartwright  of  Company  E,  and  Willard  Howard  and  Corporal 
Gardner  of  Company  D,  acted  as  floor  managers.  Harry  Reed 
attended  to  other  duties  equally  important.  Generals  Foster  and 
Wessells  were  present,  as  were  also  a  number  of  field,  line,  and 
staff  officers.  Our  regimental  band  furnished  military  music,  and 
a  string  band  played  for  the  dancing.  The  barracks  were  liter 
ally  packed.  We  regret  that  space  forbids  giving  a  full  descrip 
tion.  "Corporal"  and  one  of  our  diarists  wrote  home  full  and 
glowing  accounts. 

Just  after  one  of  these  entertainments  the  colonel  met  Willard 
Howard  and  congratulated  him  on  its  success,  adding,  "  I  am 
proud  of  what  the  boys  are  doing  and  will  help  them  in  any  way 
that  I  can."  This  conversation  was  repeated  to  one  or  two  of  the 
men,  among  whom  was  Corporal  Haines.  He  immediately  pro 
posed  to  write  the  text  of  an  opera  if  Howard  and  others  would 


CAMP   LIFE.  105 

attend  to  the  music  and  staging.  The  idea  was  most  favorably 
received,  committees  were  appointed,  and  the  result  was  "  II  Re- 
cruitio."  No  one  would  confess  to  a  knowledge  of  Italian,  so,  as 
we  wished  to  call  the  opera  "  The  Recruit,"  we  translated  it  after 
the  rule  given  by  some  humorous  author  as  nearly  as  we  could. 
This  opera  was  founded  upon  the  imaginary  adventures  of  one  of 
our  members,  and  described  his  enlistment  at  Boylston  Hall;  the 
hardships  and  trials  endured  on  his  introduction  to  military  life ; 
his  perils  by  sea  and  by  land ;  recounted  in  glowing  verse  his 
valorous  deeds  in  pursuit  of  personal  safety  and  forage;  and 
finally  bade  him  adieu  in  Plymouth,  a  captive  to  the  charms  of  a 
pretty  "  Secesh  "  maiden,  one  "  Nancy  Skittletop."  1  Where  so 
many  contributed  to  the  success,  it  would  be  invidious  to  particu 
larize  ;  but  we  think  none  will  deny  that  a  large  share  of  the  credit 
belongs  to  Willard,  Davis,  and  Henry  Howard,  —  the  "Howard 
boys,"  as  they  were  universally  known,  —  and  to  our  incomparable 
scenic  artist  and  "  Nancy  Skittletop,"  Fred.  Sayer.  Scenery  from 
the  old  New  Berne  theatre  was  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the 
committee,  and  shelter-tents,  flags  kindly  loaned  by  different 
regiments  and  the  Navy,  and  red  and  blue  shirts  and  drawers 
furnished  by  the  hospital  department  were  utilized  in  the  deco 
ration.  Companies  B  and  F  were  on  picket  at  Batchelder's  Creek, 
so  their  barracks  were  used  for  the  performances.  A  stage  was 
erected  at  the  lower  end  of  F's  barrack,  toward  the  sutler's.  The 
orchestra,  composed  mainly  of  members  of  our  regiment,  with 
Charley  Hooke  as  leader,  was  reinforced  by  Captain  Daniel  of 
the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-eighth  New  York,  and  Mr.  McCready, 
a  civilian. 

The  opera  was  given  on  Wednesday  evening,  March  II,  to  an 
audience  composed  principally  of  members  of  our  own  regiment. 
On  Thursday  evening  the  performance  was  complimentary  to 
General  Foster  and  staff,  and  one  diarist  notes  that  by  actual 
count  there  were  twenty-seven  ladies  present.  On  Friday  even 
ing  it  was  given  for  the  third  time,  to  satisfy  the  demands  of 
those  who  had  failed  to  gain  admission  to  cither  of  the  previous 

1  It  was  intended  to  reproduce  "  II  Recruitio  "  in  the  Appendix,  but  the  Committee 
have  decided  that,  although  very  amusing  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  it  is  not  of 
sufficient  interest  to  warrant  reprinting. 


IO6  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

representations.  At  the  close  of  the  final  performance  the  com 
mittee  and  actors,  with  the  approval  of  the  colonel,  who  thought 
they  had  earned  some  privileges,  adjourned  to  the  quarters  of  the 
officers  of  Company  B,  where  they  enjoyed  quite  a  nice  supper, 
the  bill  of  fare  being  a  decided  change  from  the  usual  regi 
mental  diet.  After  our  return  to  Boston,  the  opera,  with  but  a 
few  changes  in  the  cast,  was  given  at  Tremont  Temple,  and 
received  most  favorable  comment  from  dramatic  critics. 

Another  scheme  to  employ  part  of  our  leisure  was  that  of 
debating  clubs.  These  were  formed  in  several  companies,  and 
proved  quite  attractive  to  many  of  our  men.  Some  of  the  topics 
discussed  were  rather  abstruse,  but  at  the  age  we  then  were  that 
fact  did  not  trouble  us,  and  we  settled  them  all  to  our  entire  satis 
faction.  Another  literary  enterprise  attempted  was  that  of  the 
establishment  of  a  magazine.  It  was  called  "  The  Bay  State 
Forty-fourth,"  being  printed  and  published  in  Boston,  but  edited 
by  DeForest  Safford  of  Company  F ;  the  articles,  which  related 
wholly  to  regimental  matters,  were  contributed  by  different  mem 
bers.  •  Only  one  number  was  published,  as  various  causes  pre 
vented  the  continuation  of  the  enterprise. 

February  25,  General  Foster  reviewed  the  corps.  The  ground 
on  which  the  review  took  place  was  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Trent  River.  The  march  was  short,  —  we  left  camp  at  8.30  A.  M. 
and  returned  at  3  P.  M.,  —  but  it  was  one  of  the  most  fatiguing  days 
in  our  experience.  Colonel  Lee  was  in  command  of  the  brigade, 
and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Cabot  had  charge  of  the  regiment.  Un 
doubtedly  it  was  a  fine  sight  to  the  spectators,  but  the  men  cer 
tainly  thought  "  the  play  was  not  worth  the  candle."  Colonel 
Lee  told  us  afterwards  that  General  Foster  gave  the  Twenty-fifth 
Massachusetts  the  credit  of  doing  the  finest  marching  of  any 
regiment  that  participated,  but  that  the  general's  staff  were 
unanimously  of  the  opinion  that  none  deserved  more  praise  than 
the  Forty-fourth. 

Whenever  we  went  off  on  an  expedition  there  was  always 
a  percentage  who  from  illness  or  other  causes  were  unable  to 
accompany  us.  These  men  were  styled  the  "  Home  Guard." 
While  we  were  absent  their  duties  were  light,  camp  and  police 
guard  being  the  only  ones  they  were  called  upon  to  perform. 


CAMP   LIFE.  lO/ 

Once  or  twice  they  were  alarmed  by  an  attack  on  the  pickets, 
and  were  called  out  for  defence  of  the  town,  although  they  saw 
no  actual  fighting.  On  one  occasion  Harry  Hunt,  who  was  act 
ing  as  sutler  in  absence  of  his  father,  bravely  shouldered  his 
musket  and  took  a  place  in  the  ranks,  thus  showing  his  willing 
ness  to  share  in  the  fortunes  of  the  regiment,  whatever  they 
might  be. 

At  last  we  all  had  the  experience  of  an  attack  on  the  place. 
March  14  was  the  anniversary  of  the  capture  of  New  Berne. 
An  elaborate  programme  had  been  arranged  to  commemorate 
that  victory.  We  were  to  raise  a  flag  on  a  new  staff  just  erected  ; 
Belger's  battery  was  to  fire  a  salute ;  his  officers  and  ours  \vere 
to  provide  a  collation ;  and  we  were  anticipating  a  pleasant  and 
mildly  exciting  celebration.  Just  before  daybreak  we  were  awak 
ened  by  the  sound  of  a  cannon.  We  thought  it  early  for  the 
salute,  but  in  a  few  seconds  it  was  followed  by  another,  this  one 
evidently  shotted.  Thoroughly  aroused,  we  sprung  from  our 
bunks,  and  going  outside  the  barracks,  could  distinguish,  in  the 
gray  of  the  morning,  that  Fort  Anderson,  on  the  other  side  of 
the  Neuse  River,  was  being  attacked.  Shot  and  shell  were  drop 
ping  into  the  water  just  opposite  our  camp,  and  occasionally  one 
would  reach  the  vicinity  of  the  officers'  stables.  No  reveille  was 
needed  that  morning  to  induce  the  boys  to  turn  out.  There  had 
been  an  affair  of  the  pickets  the  previous  evening,  of  which  we 
were  all  aware,  but  none  of  us  thought  it  was  anything  more 
serious  than  was  happening  frequently.  Probably  our  officers 
knew  more  about  it  than  we  did.  The  men  were  ordered  to  put 
on  all  equipments,  including  knapsacks,  and  the  morning  was 
passed  in  waiting  orders.  The  Ninety-second  New  York  garri 
soned  Fort  Anderson,  and  soon  after  the  attack  began  were 
reinforced  by  the  Eighty- fifth  New  York.  A  rumor  was  circu 
lated  that  our  regiment  would  be  the  next  sent  across  the  river; 
but  word  came  that  they  had  all  the  men  that  they  could  use 
to  advantage,  —  a  fact  for  which  we  hope  we  were  duly  thankful. 
That  night  Companies  A  and  K  were  sent  out  on  picket,  and  the 
next  morning  were  relieved  by  Companies  I  and  H.  The  attack 
was  not  serious,  although  for  a  time  the  excitement  among  the 
men  was  intense  and  the  air  was  full  of  rumors. 


io8 


FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 


The  next  evening,  Sunday,  about  5  P.  M.,  we  received  orders 
to  go  to  Washington,  and  within  an  hour  or  two  were  on  our 
way  to  the  wharf.  Our  camp  experience  was  ended,  as  imme 
diately  on  our  return  we  were  assigned  to  provost  duty  and 
remained  in  town  until  we  left  North  Carolina  for  home. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

THE  TARBORO'  MARCH,  AND  THE  AFFAIR  OF  LITTLE  CREEK 
AND  RAWLE'S  MILL. 


"  Strike  up  the  drums ;  and  let  the  tongue  of  war 
Plead  for  our  interest." 


N  Sunday  evening,  Oct.  26,  1862,  after 
an  afternoon's  ride  on  platform  cars 
through  a  drenching  rain-storm,  we 
arrived  at  New  Berne  from  the  trans 
ports.  Only  three  days  later  the  sev 
eral  companies  were  called  out  before 
their  quarters  for  the  distribution  of 
cartridge-boxes  and  ammunition,  when 
we  were  informed  that  we  must  make 
immediate  preparation  for  a  move  in 
to  the  interior ;  for  early  the  following 
morning  we  were  to  leave  camp  in 

light  marching  condition,  surrendering  our  knapsacks  and  their 
contents  to  be  stored  here  until  our  return.  The  cooks  were 
instructed  to  prepare  five  days'  rations,  and  most  of  the  night 
they  toiled  over  their  fires.  Rumors  and  speculations  regarding 
the  duty  to  which  we  were  so  suddenly  summoned  filled  the 
camp,  and  few  eyes  closed  in  restful  slumber. 

At  four  on  Thursday  morning  we  were  turned  out  to  draw 
rations.  At  six,  regimental  line  was  formed  and  we  marched  to 
the  transports  which  were  found  waiting  to  convey  a  portion  of 
the  force  to  "  Little  "  Washington,  on  the  Tar  River. 

The  First  Brigade,  under  command  of  Colonel  T.  J.  C.  Amory, 
and  the  artillery,  cavalry,  baggage-wagons,  and  ambulances,  had 
started  early  to  march  across  the  country.  The  Second  Brigade, 


HO  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

under  Colonel  Stevenson,  and  the  Third,  under  Colonel  H.  C. 
Lee,  were  to  go  by  transports. 

Six  companies  of  the  Forty-fourth,  with  the  field  and  staff, 
went  aboard  the  steamer  "  George  C.  Collins,"  and  Companies 
A,  B,  G,  and  K,  the  remainder  of  the  regiment,  under  command 
of  Captain  James  M.  Richardson,  were  taken  in  tow  on  the 
schooner  "  Highlander,"  which  latter  also  carried  two  companies 
of  the  Twenty-fourth  Massachusetts. 

We  soon  got  under  way,  and  sailing  down  the  Neuse,  passing 
the  batteries  silenced  by  Burnside  at  the  capture  of  New  Berne 
and  the  vessels  sunk  in  the  river  as  obstructions  to  his  advance, 
entered  Pamlico  Sound  about  three  in  the  afternoon,  and  after  all 
day  and  night  aboard  found  ourselves  at  Washington  the  next 
morning. 

Disembarking  about  noon,  we  marched  through  the  principal 
street,  wide  and  shaded  with  fine  elms,  to  an  open  cornfield  on 
the  east  side  of  the  town,  where  we  stacked  arms  and  encamped 
to  await  the  arrival  of  the  forces  coming  by  land.  The  field  and 
staff  took  possession  of  an  old  saw-mill  on  the  field  of  our  en 
campment.  This  town,  the  capital  of  Beaufort  County,  about 
forty  miles  from  the  sound,  we  found  neat  and  pretty.  Its  streets 
ran  at  right  angles,  were  broad  and  well  shaded,  and  bounded  by 
many  old-fashioned,  pleasant  houses  with  fine  gardens  of  orna 
mental  shrubs  and  trees.  In  abundance  were  fig,  aloe,  Spanish 
bayonet,  mulberry,  magnolia,  and  large  rose  trees,  and  English 
ivy  gave  a  cosey  and  charming  effect  to  many  of  the  dwellings. 
One  house  was  approached  by  a  romantic  arbored  walk,  over 
three  hundred  feet  in  length,  of  red  cedars,  the  branches  of 
which  were  so  closely  interlaced  as  scarcely  to  admit  the  rays 
of  the  sun. 

The  place  was  garrisoned  by  a  small  number  of  Union  soldiers, 
supported  by  gunboats  which  were  anchored  in  the  river.  Quite 
a  number  of  the  buildings  bore  evidence  of  the  recent  Rebel  raid, 
being  seriously  marred  by  shot  and  shells,  and  at  certain  dis 
tances  the  streets  were  now  barricaded  by  chevaux-de-frise  to 
guard  against  a  sudden  dash  of  cavalry. 

We  were  shown  the  place  where  the  raiders  entered  the  town 
through  the  field  of  one  Grice,  who  was  one  of  the  few  whites 


THE   TARBORO'    MARCH.  1 1  I 

remaining  since  the  occupation  by  our  forces.  He  called  him 
self  a  Unionist,  but  was  much  suspected  of  sympathy  with  the 
enemy,  and  was  accused  by  the  garrison  of  covertly  advising  and 
assisting  the  raiders  upon  their  visit.1 

On  the  field  of  our  camp  were  remains  of  the  enemy's  intrench- 
ments  six'or  seven  hundred  feet  in  length. 

Wandering  about  on  the  second  day  of  our  arrival,  the  explo 
sion  of  a  torpedo,  which  had  lain  in  the  bed  of  the  river  where 
it  passes  the  town,  reminded  us  that  the  occupation  by  Union 
soldiers  was  not  originally  welcomed.  This  engine  of  destruction 
had  been  planted  before  our  forces  took  possession.  Its  prob 
able  location  was  pointed  out  by  the  blacks,  and  a  number  of 
fruitless  efforts  from  time  to  time  had  been  made  to  explode  it 
by  the  sailors  on  the  gunboats.-  On  this  day,  however,  the  hulk 
of  an  old  vessel,  drawn  for  that  purpose  over  the  spot,  caught  the 
trigger  and  accomplished  the  object.  The  craft  was  blown  into 
the  air  and  the  water  strewn  with  debris. 

Colonel  Amory  and  his  force  did  not  arrive  until  late  on  Satur 
day,  having  been  delayed  by  obstructions  placed  in  the  line  of 
their  march  and  by  skirmishes  with  a  guerilla  force.  Meanwhile 
we  fully  improved  our  opportunity  to  explore  the  town  and  make 
friendships  among  the  garrison.  On  Sunday,  Nov.  2,  we  were 
awakened  by  a  conflagration  in  the  camp  which  deserves  descrip 
tion.  Soon  after  we  were  marched  on  to  this  field,  to  camp  until 
the  arrival  of  the  remainder  of  the  force,  our  boys  discovered  in 
a  building  near  by,  which  had  evidently  been  used  as  a  sugar- 
box  manufactory,  a  large  quantity  of  planed  boards  of  convenient 
length  for  the  construction  of  shelters,  and  in  an  incredibly  short 
time  most  of  these  boards  were  transferred  to  the  camp,  and  the 
field  was  covered  with  little  wooden  huts.  Just  before  sunrise 
some  of  the  guard,  finding  their  fires  low  and  the  air  frosty  and 
cold,  knowing  we  were  to  march,  with  a  spirit  of  mischief  took 
the  boards  of  an  adjoining  hut  and  threw  them  upon  the  fire 
for  fuel.  The  inmates,  who  had  been  wrapped  soundly  in  slum 
ber,  awakened  by  the  sudden  admission  of  the  frosty  air,  startled 
by  the  proximity  of  the  flames,  jumped  to  their  feet,  and,  taking 

1  He  proved  himself  loyal  just  before  the   arrival  of  the  Confederate  troops  to 
attack  Little  Washington,  in  April,  1863. 


112  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

in  the  situation,  showed  their  appreciation  of  the  joke  by  per 
petrating  the  same  upon  their  neighbors,  who  in  turn  did  the 
same,  until  soon  over  the  entire  field  were  roaring,  soaring  fires 
of  dry  pine  boards,  which  afforded  a  weird  and  novel  sight. 

After  fully  enjoying  the  scene,  we  began  to  boil  our  coffee  and 
make  preparation  to  march  from  the  town.  Although  deprived 
of  our  knapsacks,  and  the  change  of  clothing  which  they  con 
tained,  upon  departing  from  New  Berne,  yet  we  had  been  per 
mitted  to  take  along  our  woollen  blankets ;  but  now  that  we  were 
about  to  tramp,  we  were  told  that  we  must  surrender  those  like 


wise,  and  leave  them  here  to  await  our  return,  it  being  the  inten 
tion  of  General  Foster  to  put  us  in  the  best  possible  condition  to 
cover  long  stretches.  Remembering  the  frosty  nights,  reluctantly 
we  parted  with  them,  and  at  five  o'clock  we  took  up  our  line  of 
march  in  the  direction  of  Williamstown,  about  twenty-two  miles 
north,  on  the  Roanoke  River. 

Our  brigade  (the  Second),  commanded  by  Colonel  Stevenson, 
took  the  advance,  the  New  York  cavalry  preceding  as  scouts, 
followed  by  the  Tenth  Connecticut  as  skirmishers;  then  came 
the  marine  artillery,  with  four  guns ;  the  Fifth  Rhode  Island ;  the 
Forty-fourth  Massachusetts  and  the  Twenty-fourth ;  and  Belger's 
battery,  in  the  order  named.  Following  us  were  the  First  and 
Third  Brigades ;  the  whole  force  consisting  of  about  five  thou 
sand  men  and  twenty-one  pieces  of  artillery,  under  the  personal 
command  of  General  Foster. 


THE   TARBORO'    MARCH.  113 

We  marched  out  through  an  open  field  and  entered  the  woods 
by  a  road  leading  from  the  north  of  the  town,  when  we  were 
halted  and  ordered  to  load  our  muskets.  Continuing  the  march, 
we  made  the  woods  ring  with  "  Coronation  "  and  other  hymns 
and  songs,  until  about  ten  o'clock,  when  firing  was  heard  ahead, 
—  first  volleys  of  musketry,  then  some  artillery,  and  a  column  of 
smoke  arose  a  quarter  of  a  mile  or  more  away  to  the  left.  We 
were  stopped,  and  soon  a  cavalryman  rode  down  the  line  lead 
ing  a  wounded  horse  to  the  rear,  and  we  learned  that  the  head 
of  the  column  had  encountered  and  driven  a  company  of  the 
enemy's  cavalry  pickets,  capturing  one  prisoner. 

The  line  was  again  set  in  motion,  and  we  soon  arrived  at  the 
place  of  the  skirmish.  By  the  side  of  the  road  stood  a  horse 
with  its  hoof  mangled  by  a  bullet,  and  close  by  it  another  with  a 
shattered  leg.  There  were  many  evidences  of  the  hasty  departure 
of  the  enemy.  Fires  still  burning,  haversacks  hanging  upon 
branches  of  the  trees  in  the  grove  where  they  were  surprised, 
and  blankets,  quilts,  and  other  articles  scattered  along  the  road. 
Their  quarters  were  in  a  mill  near  a  bridge,  which  latter,  set  on 
fire  to  cover  their  retreat,  caused  the  smoke  we  had  seen.  The 
prisoner  was  a  youth  of  about  seventeen  years,  armed  with  a 
double-barrelled  shot-gun.  He  appeared  pleased  to  have  been 
taken  without  being  injured. 

Our  five  days'  rations,  distributed  on  the  morning  of  departure 
from  New  Berne,  lasted  but  three,  and  provisions  being  short, 
permission  was  given  to  forage,  and  the  deserted  houses  and 
outbuildings  scattered  along  our  route  were  searched  for  food. 
A  number  of  horses  and  mules  were  found,  confiscated,  and 
made  to  do  service  with  the  Yankee  force.  Chickens,  geese,  and 
turkeys  were  run  down  and  captured,  and  many  hives  of  honey 
emptied  of  their  contents  to  tickle  the  palates  of  hungry  soldiers. 

Soon  we  reached  fine  plantations.  About  one  o'clock  we 
passed  a  planter's  house  where  the  family  were  all  seated  upon 
the  piazza.,  reminding  us  of  the  peaceful  Sunday  at  home.  Here 
we  were  filed  off  into  a  large  field  for  rest  and  dinner,  and  we 
cooked  our  poultry  and  boiled  our  coffee  over  fires  of  fence-rails. 
After  a  short  stay  we  were  ordered  to  fall  in  once  more  and 
resume  the  march. 

8 


114  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

The  sun  had  become  quite  hot,  and  the  roads,  of  fine,  loose 
sand  resembling  the  sands  which  border  our  sea  beaches,  were 
hard  to  walk  in  and  extremely  dusty.  There  were  many  swampy 
places  where  the  water  flowed  across  the  road  from  a  few  inches 
to  two  or  more  feet  in  depth,  and  sometimes  three  hundred  yards 
in  width.  Wading  through  these,  our  shoes  took  in  the  dry  sand 
beyond,  which,  held  by  the  water,  worked  through  the  woollen 
stockings  and  blistered  and  lacerated  our  feet.  Some  of  the 
deeper  of  these  wet  places  had  along  one  side  rude  foot-bridges 
constructed  of  a  single  line  of  hewn  logs  raised  upon  upright 
posts,  which,  though  convenient  for  a  lone  traveller,  were  of  no 
avail  whatever  unto  us.  Being  inviting,  however,  to  the  weary 
and  now  footsore  men,  Colonel  Lee  was  for  some  time  kept  busy 
in  vigorously  discouraging  those  who,  contrary  to  his  orders, 
persisted  in  mounting  the  logs  to  cross  the  water. 

When  the  sun  was  setting,  we  approached  a  bend  in  the  road 
turning  to  the  left,  within  a  few  miles  of  Williamstown.  Our 
advance  was  here  fired  upon  from  the  woods,  and  two  of  the 
pieces  drawn  by  the  sailors  were  unlimbered  and  brought  to  bear 
upon  the  spot  where  the  enemy  seemed  to  be.  Our  regiment 
being  now  the  second  in  the  advance,  the  Tenth  Connecticut, 
which  was  leading,  was  filed  off  to  the  right  into  a  field  and 
formed  in  line  of  battle,  and  our  right  flank  companies,  H  and  C, 
under  Captain  Smith,  were  detached  as  skirmishers  and  started 
at  the  double  quick.  Passing  the  Connecticut  boys,  they  were 
encouraged  by  such  kind  exclamations  as  "  Bully  for  the  Forty- 
fourth  !  "  —  "  Go  in,  boys  !  "  —  "  Give  'em  hell !  "  —  "  Drive  them 
out !  "  etc.  Coming  to  where  the  sailors  stood  at  their  guns,  they 
found  a  creek  called  Little  Creek,  about  fifty  yards  in  width, 
crossing  the  road.  Here  they  received  orders  from  an  aide  to 
Colonel  Stevenson  to  advance  through  the  water  and  hold  one 
company  in  reserve  upon  the  other  side,  deploying  the  other 
forward  until  they  met  and  felt  the  enemy's  force. 

Captain  Smith,  therefore,  after  ordering  them  to  drop  their 
overcoats  and  rubber  blankets,  advanced  them  down  the  slope 
into  the  water.  Before  they  had  got  over,  and  while  most  of  them 
were  submerged  to  their  waists,  out  of  the  blackness  of  the  woods 
which  surrounded  them  suddenly  there  came  a  flash,  as  a  volley 


THE  TARBORO'   MARCH.  115 

of  musketry  opened  within  a  few  yards.  There  being  no  sus 
picion  that  the  enemy  had  remained  so  near  our  artillery,  our  boys 
were  thrown  into  momentary  confusion,  and  the  command,  "  Fall 
back !  "  being  given  by  an  officer  upon  the  bank,  a  portion  of 
Company  C,  which  was  in  the  rear,  obeyed  ;  the  others,  not  hear 
ing,  pressed  on  with  a  cheer,  gained  the  opposite  side,  and  shel 
tered  themselves  under  the  bank  formed  by  the  edge  of  the  road. 
Here  they  opened  fire  to  the  right  and  left  up  the  road,  valiantly 
keeping  their  position  against  a  brisk  fire  of  musketry.  It  was 
soon  discovered  that  much  of  their  ammunition  had  become  wet 
in  crossing,  and  the  firing  on  our  side  was  consequently  light. 
Word  was  sent  that  they  had  been  ordered  back ;  and,  still  sub 
jected  to  the  volleys  of  the  enemy,  slowly  they  made  their  way 
across  the  creek  again,  firing  as  they  retired.  Here  they  shel 
tered  themselves  in  a  shallow  sand-pit  on  the  right  of  the  road, 
and,  as  far  as  their  wetted  ammunition  would  permit,  kept  up 
their  fire  until,  finding  that  they  were  endangering  the  gunners 
on  the  left  in  front,  they  were  ordered  farther  back  to  guard  the 
overcoats  of  Companies  E  and  I.  Had  the  enemy  directed  his 
fire  lower,  the  casualties  wrould  have  been  very  great.  As  it  was, 
private  Charles  E.  Rollins  was  killed,  and  Lieutenant  Briggs, 
Sergeant  Pond,  Corporal  Smith,  and  Privates  Peakes  and  Small- 
idge  of  Company  C,  and  Privates  Parker  and  Jacobs  of  Company 
H  were  wounded. 

While  this  affair  was  taking  place,  the  column  had  advanced  to 
within  a  few  rods  of  the  ford,  and  was  greeted  with  a  shower  of 
bullets  which  went  whistling  by  unpleasantly  just  over  our  heads. 
Thereupon  we  were  ordered  to  lie  down ;  and,  footsore  and  tired, 
we  gladly  threw  ourselves  upon  the  ground.  The  remainder  of 
the  brigade  was  filed  off  to  the  left,  aides  galloped  back  and 
forth,  the  artillery  at  the  rear  was  brought  forward,  and  Belger's 
battery  and  the  Napoleon  guns  were  soon  pouring  shot  and  shells 
thick  and  fast  into  the  woods.  Volley  after  volley  of  musketry 
came  from  both  sides,  and  the  wounded  went  by  on  stretchers 
and  were  laid  in  a  little  grove  near  by,  where  the  surgeons  and 
aides  were  busy  with  instruments,  lint,  and  bandages. 

Companies  H  and  C  having  been  ordered  back,  Companies  E 
and  I,  under  Captain  Spencer  W.  Richardson,  were  ordered  to 


Il6  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

relieve  them.  Company  I  was  stationed  on  our  side  of  the  creek 
as  a  reserve,  and  Company  E,  first  loosening  cartridge-boxes  that 
they  might  hold  them  above  the  water,  pushed  across  and  de 
ployed  at  once  in  the  woods  to  the  right  and  left.  Advancing 
gradually  up  the  declivity,  exchanging  shots  with  the  enemy, 
they  dislodged  and  drove  him  before  them. 

A  signal  officer  sent  up  a  rocket  to  inform  the  general  that  the 
enemy  had  fallen  back,  and  Companies  E  and  I  \vere  then  with 
drawn,  having  lost  one  killed,  Private  Charles  Morse,  and  one  se 
verely  wounded,  Private  Charles  E.  Roberts,  both  of  Company  E. 
They  brought  back  with  them  three  prisoners,  captured  severally 
by  Parsons,  Tucker,  and  H.  T.  Pierce,  of  Company  E.  Private 
De  Peyster  of  Company  H,  the  colonel's  orderly,  while  bravely 
attempting  to  recover  the  body  of  an  artillery  man  in  front  of 
our  lines,  was  so  badly  wounded  that  Surgeon  Otis  was  obliged 
to  amputate  his  arm  in  a  cabin  upon  the  field. 

The  remainder  of  the  regiment  was  now  ordered  to  "  fix  bay 
onets  "  and  cross  the  stream ;  so,  holding  up  our  cartridge-boxes, 
silently  and  slowly  we  marched  down  and  into  the  ford.  It  was 
pitchy  dark,  and,  heated  and  perspiring  as  we  were  by  our  long 
and  hurried  tramp  under  a  scorching  sun,  the  water  seemed  an 
Arctic  current. 

The  firing  had  ceased  for  about  half  an  hour;  but  while  in  the 
stream,  some  of  us  to  our  middle,  we  wrere  again  opened  upon, 
this  time  with  artillery,  and  crashing  through  the  woods  sur 
rounding  us  came  their  shells,  tearing  down  trees  and  branches, 
and  bursting  all  about  and  near  by.  We  now  got  through  as 
quickly  as  possible,  and  were  ordered  again  to  lie  down  in  the 
road.  They  had  quite  accurate  range,  many  of  their  cannon- 
shot  burying  themselves  in  the  bank  of  the  road  close  above 
our  heads,  their  shells  bursting  uncomfortably  near,  and  small 
trees  and  heavy  branches  tumbling  among  us  where  we  lay. 

We  did  not  reply  to  their  fire,  but  after  they  ceased  and  re 
treated  we  were  ordered  up  and  on.  The  enemy  had  retired  to 
Rawlc's  Mill,  about  a  mile  beyond,  where  they  made  another 
stand.  The  Twenty-fourth  was  now  thrown  forward  as  skirmish 
ers,  and  obstructions  having  been  placed  at  every  practicable 
point,  our  progress  was  greatly  delayed,  and  the  advance  made 


THE   TARBORO'    MARCH.  1 17 

very  fatiguing.  Word  was  quietly  passed  that  we  were  expected 
to  take  some  works  on  the  left.  Line  was  to  be  formed  upon  the 
field,  our  regiment  to  deploy  on  the  right  and  left  of  the  road, 
with  the  Tenth  Connecticut  on  our  right  flank  and  the  Twenty- 
fourth  on  the  left,  and  we  should  first  deliver  one  round  and 
then  charge. 

Cautiously  and  noiselessly  we  moved.  After  midnight  we  en 
tered  a  side-cut  road,  having  an  extensive  cornfield  on  its  left, 
and  came  to  a  halt  just  at  a  little  bend.  The  stillness  was  pain 
ful,  for  we  felt  ourselves  to  be  near  the  enemy.  Suddenly  a 
volley  of  musketry  was  poured  into  us  at  the  head  of  the  column, 
seemingly  from  no  greater  distance  than  a  couple  of  rods.  There 
was  a  rush  upon  our  front,  and  tumbling  into  the  narrow  road 
where  we  were  cooped  up  came  horses  and  men  of  the  marine 
battery  in  wildest  confusion.  Lieutenant  Stebbins  of  Company 
D  was  wounded,  Colonel  Lee  was  knocked  down,  and  those  for 
ward  were  thrown  back  in  great  disorder ;  but  the  word  "  Steady  !  " 
being  given  by  the  lieutenant-colonel,  the  men  at  once  recovered 
and  stood  firm.  The  colonel,  regaining  his  feet,  gave  the  order 
to  fall  back,  and  we  retired  to  a  position  farther  back  in  the  road, 
while  Belger's  battery  and  a  battery  of  the  Third  New  York  Artil 
lery  Regiment,  drawn  up  in  the  field,  commenced  shelling  the 
enemy.  The  roar  of  the  guns  and  screeching  of  shells  gave  to  us 
a  grand  experience,  and  the  woods  shook  with  the  fearful  din. 

The  enemy  replied  at  first  with  his  artillery,  but  soon  ceased ; 
and  it  being  ascertained  that  he  had  fled,  burning  the  bridge  as 
he  crossed,  at  about  two  o'clock  on  Monday  morning  we  were 
permitted  to  lie  down  on  our  arms  and  sleep  in  the  field,  in  line 
behind  the  batteries. 

Cold,  wet,  and  exhausted  as  we  were,  with  nothing  over  us  but 
our  rubber  blankets,  in  that  frosty  field  under  the  open  sky,  after 
twenty  hours  of  almost  constant  marching  and  engagement,  we 
were  thankful  for  the  privilege,  and  in  a  short  time  were  soundly 
wrapped  in  slumber. 

The  general  established  his  quarters  at  a  small  house  adjoin 
ing  Rawle's  Mill,  a  little  in  advance  of  our  position,  near  to  the 
bridge  which  had  been  burned  at  our  approach.  The  dead  were 
gathered,  and  solemnly  and  hurriedly  buried  by  the  light  of 


Il8  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

lanterns  in  the  grove  of  pines  on  the  left,  before  crossing  the 
creek. 

During  the  latter  part  of  this  day's  experience  many  became 
so  tired  that  they  slept  while  standing  in  the  road  during  the 
numerous  little  halts  when  we  were  cautiously  advancing;  and 
when  softly  the  order  "  Forward  !  "  was  given,  they  would  topple 
like  tenpins  before  they  could  recover  themselves.  Whenever 
permitted  to  lie  down,  in  spite  of  the  roar  of  cannons,  the  rattle 
of  musketry,  and  bursting  of  shells,  most  would  be  asleep  in  an 
instant,  only  to  be  awakened  by  that  recurring  "  Forward !  " 
which  seemed  to  be  the  only  sound  that  reached  their  compre 
hension.  There  was  something  so  curious  about  this  that  it  ex 
cited  universal  attention.  On  the  Goldsboro'  march,  a  soldier, 
sleeping,  tired,  and  weary,  with  his  feet  to  the  burning  stump  of 
a  tree  for  warmth,  rolled  over  upon  it  and  set  his  clothing  afire. 
Two  or  three  of  his  comrades  seized  and  vigorously  shook  him, 
shouting  themselves  hoarse  in  trying  to  awake  and  warn  him  of 
his  danger;  but  he  rolled  like  a  dummy  in  their  hands,  and  slept 
on  as  placidly  as  if  undisturbed,  until  one  mischievously  uttered 
the  command  "  Forward  !  "  when  he  was  on  his  feet  in  an  in 
stant,  rubbing  his  eyes,  and  gathering  himself  together  ready  to 
march. 

About  three  hours  later  we  were  awakened,  and  stiff  and  sore 
we  got  on  to  our  feet.  The  water  in  our  canteens  was  frozen,  and 
a  thick  white  frost  covered  our  rubber  blankets  and  such  parts 
of  our  arms  and  equipments  as  had  been  exposed.  We  were 
obliged  to  move  about  briskly  for  a  while  to  take  the  stiffness 
out  of  our  joints  and  give  circulation  and  warmth  to  the  blood. 
The  pioneers  had  rebuilt  the  bridge  during  the  night.  With  little 
delay  we  fell  into  line,  Companies  A  and  G  being  placed  at  the 
right,  and  moved  on  toward  Williamstown,  passing  some  of  the 
enemy's  dead  lying  torn,  ghastly,  and  unburied  where  they  fell. 

At  about  twelve  o'clock  we  marched  into  the  town  and  halted 
for  breakfast,  stacking  arms  in  the  street  before  a  fine  mansion. 
The  inhabitants  had  deserted  at  the  sound  of  our  guns  the  night 
before,  taking  with  them  much  of  their  furniture  and  goods. 
Like  Washington,  the  streets  were  broad  and  finely  shaded,  bor 
dered  with  residences  having  enclosures  containing  many  pretty 


THE  TARBORO'    MARCH.  119 

trees  and  shrubs.  We  found  that  several  gunboats  had  sailed 
up  the  Roanoke  and  arrived  here,  waiting  to  co-operate  with  us. 
Blacks  in  great  numbers  had  joined  us  on  our  march  and  soon 
began  to  ransack  the  deserted  houses.  Some  of  the  soldiers 
partook  too  freely  of  discovered  apple-jack,  and  under  its  influ 
ence  joined  in  pillage  and  destruction  of  furniture  and  orna 
ments,  until  forcibly  prevented  by  the  provost-guard.  With 
pleasure  I  relate  that  the  Forty-fourth  took  no  part  in  such 
depredations. 

Our  object  in  coming  here  was  to  attempt  the  defeat  and  cap 
ture  of  a  force  of  the  enemy  which  had  gathered  upon  the  river 
below,  near  Plymouth,  threatening  to  attack  and  retake  that  town 
garrisoned  by  United  States  troops.  They  had  already  con 
structed  a  bridge  over  which  to  transport  their  artillery;  but, 
warned  of  our  approach,  a  portion  went  up  to  Rawle's  Mill  to 
hold  us  in  check,  while  the  remainder  passed  to  the  interior. 
Their  rear-guard  passed  through  Williamsto\vn  very  early  this 
morning  in  full  retreat  and  much  demoralized.  We  also  expected 
to  intercept  large  convoys  of  provisions  which  the  Rebels  were 
transporting  from  the  section  to  the  east  and  south  of  Plymouth. 
This  we  failed  to  accomplish. 

Refreshed  a  little  by  our  rest,  we  left  Williamstown  between 
three  and  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  and  advanced  westerly 
toward  Hamilton,  passing  scenes  similar  to  those  of  yesterday 
and  this  morning.  The  country  grew  higher  and  more  undu 
lating.  Substantial  and  extensive  plantation  buildings,  with  pic 
turesque  cotton-presses  and  ginning-houses,  stood  in  the  fields 
and  added  to  the  beauty  of  the  landscape.  The  soil,  a  rich 
sandy  loam  without  a  stone,  was  easy  for  the  plough,  and  furrows 
three  quarters  of  a  mile  in  length,  as  straight  as  a  line,  were  seen 
on  either  side.  Great  fields  of  white,  full-rowed  corn,  on  stalks 
ten  to  twelve  feet  in  height,  stood  unharvested,  and  acres  upon 
acres  of  cotton  were  still  unpicked. 

The  planters'  dwellings,  surrounded  with  broad  verandas, 
standing  back  from  the  road,  almost  hidden  by  clumps  of  acacias 
and  other  ornamental  trees,  presented  a  most  hospitable  appear 
ance.  Beyond  extended  the  forest,  with  its  leaves  turned  to  a 
liquid  amber,  relieved  in  places  by  the  deep  evergreen  of  the  bay 


120 


FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 


and  myrtle  and  by  the  richer  colors  of  the  large-leaved  oak, 
while  here  and  there  the  stately  and  majestic  cypress  presented  a 
deep  golden  tint.  Nearer  the  road  persimmon-trees  with  heavily 
laden  branches  invited  us  to  partake,  and  the  fruit  being  fully 
ripe  was  plucked  and  greatly  enjoyed. 

This  day  was  also  hot;  but  being  upon  higher  ground,  and 
no  longer  compelled  to  wade  through  creeks  and  swamps, 
marching  was  more  easy,  and  we  did  not  suffer  as  on  the  day 
previous,  though  many  were  forcing  themselves  along,  blistered 
and  ulcered,  some  without  shoes,  having  had  to  remove  them  to 
relieve  their  swollen  and  lacerated  feet 


Long  after  dark  we  were  filed  by  brigades  into  one  of  the  great 
cornfields  to  bivouac.  Every  other  man  in  the  files,  having 
passed  his  musket  to  his  comrade,  took  a  couple  of  fence-rails 
upon  his  shoulder  for  fuel.  Soon  the  lines  were  distinctly 
marked  by  fires,  with  dark  figures  moving  over  and  around  them. 
Sweet  potatoes,  found  in  an  adjoining  field,  were  roasted  and 
enjoyed  with  our  coffee,  and  cornstalks  and  husks  were  gathered 
as  fodder  for  the  horses. 

It  was  another  cold  night,  and  in  spite  of  the  fires, 'we  suffered. 
Rubber  blankets  are  neither  warm  nor  soft.  Few  could  sleep, 
and  many  wore  away  the  night  revolving  before  the  scant  fires  in 
futile  attempt  to  keep  all  sides  comfortable  at  once. 


THE   TARBORO'    MARCH.  121 

The  next  morning  we  fell  in  at  daylight  and  continued  on  until 
eleven  o'clock,  when  we  were  delayed  about  two  hours  while  the 
pioneers  rebuilt  another  bridge  which  had  been  burned  by  the 
enemy.  The  road  had  followed  the  river  for  some  distance,  and 
\ve  were  halted  near  to  Rainbow  Bluff,  where  was  constructed  an 
elaborate  fortification  to  command  the  river,  and  many  embraced 
the  opportunity  afforded  to  examine  it.  At  this  point,  where  the 
river  makes  a  bend  or  bow,  the  bluff  rises  perhaps  more  than  a 
hundred  feet;  and  here  was  placed  the  fort,  so  high  that,  the 
river  being  narrow  and  winding,  boats  could  not  elevate  their 
pieces  to  bear  upon  it,  making  it  a  place  of  great  natural  defence 
from  that  side,  and  enabling  the  enemy  to  prevent  the  farther 
passage  up  the  river  of  our  gunboats.  On  the  land  side,  how 
ever,  it  was  unprotected  except  by  a  light  breastwork  which  had 
recently  been  thrown  up ;  so  the  garrison  wisely  concluded  not  to 
stay  and  contest  the  place  with  us.  It  had  been  mounted  with 
field  pieces,  which  ungenerously  they  carried  off  with  them. 

From  this  eminence  was  viewed  a  charming  prospect  of  the 
river  and  surrounding  country,  —  extensive  fields,  some  golden 
with  yellow  stalks,  others  white  with  cotton  as  if  covered  with 
snow,  dotted  here  and  there  with  little  nest-like  groves  containing 
inviting  mansions,  the  homes  of  the  planters.  The  silvery  stream 
wound  in  and  among  these,  and  bounding  all  was  the  forest,  rich 
in  its  autumn-hued  foliage.  While  examining  this  fort  and  the 
fine  prospect  afforded,  six  gunboats  steamed  by  in  succession  up 
the  stream,  each  of  which  in  its  turn  was  heartily  greeted  by 
rounds  of  cheers. 

On  our  march  to  this  point  the  fifth  division  of  our  regiment, 
Companies  A  and  G,  were  sent  out  on  another  road  with  some 
cavalry  and  two  Napoleon  guns  to  endeavor  to  entrap  the  gar 
rison  of  the  fort.  They  were  led  down  a  road  leading  to  the  left 
and  into  the  woods.  Proceeding  some  distance,  they  halted  at  a 
place  very  similar  in  appearance  to  that  where  we  met  the  enemy 
on  Sunday  evening.  It  was  expected  that  they  would  pass 
through  here,  so  the  infantry  was  drawn  up  in  the  woods  above 
the  road  at  a  point  which  commanded  it,  the  guns  were  pointed, 
and  the  cavalry  placed  among  the  trees  out  of  view.  Here  they 
waited  patiently  and  in  silence  about  two  hours,  and  until  the 


122  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

videttes  came  in  and  reported  that  the  enemy  had  taken  another 
route ;  when,  felling  trees  to  prevent  future  approach  on  this  road, 
they  were  turned  back  to  join  the  main  force,  which  was  over 
taken  waiting  for  the  building  of  the  bridge  before  spoken  of, 
having  previously  destroyed  and  made  useless  the  fortification. 

The  bridge  being  soon  completed,  we  marched  to  Hamilton 
about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Here,  by  the  surgeon's 
orders,  thirty  of  our  wounded,  sick,  and  disabled  were  put  on 
board  of  a  small  steamer,  with  about  two  hundred  others  of 
the  various  commands,  and  sent  back  to  New  Berne. 

Being  on  short  rations,  foraging  parties  were  detailed  from 
each  regiment  to  enter  the  town  and  collect  food,  the  inhabitants 
having  also  retreated  and  gone  to  Tarboro',  a  place  of  some 
importance  on  the  railroad,  upon  the  line  of  direct  communication 
with  Richmond.  The  streets  soon  resounded  with  despairing 
cries  of  fleeing  pigs  and  poultry  relentlessly  pursued  by  des 
perately  hungry  men.  Without  leave,  some  stole  into  the  town 
to  forage  upon  their  own  account,  and  commenced  wholesale 
pillage  which  the  officers  vigorously  attempted  to  restrain ;  but 
the  streets  soon  became  full  of  these,  many  of  whom,  made  fren 
zied  by  apple-jack,  which  was  found  in  plenty,  commenced  to 
deface  and  destroy  household  articles  and  carry  off  furniture  and 
goods.  Our  boys,  here  as  at  Williamstown,  refrained  from  such 
unsoldierly  conduct,  and,  beyond  searching  for  and  securing 
articles  and  animals  for  food,  they  respected  the  property  of  the 
citizens. 

Sitting  around  our  camp-fires  in  the  evening,  our  attention  was 
called  to  a  cloud  of  smoke  arising  above  some  of  the  houses, 
which  rapidly  increased  in  volume,  and  it  was  seen  that  a  con 
siderable  portion  of  the  town  was  in  flames,  caused  by  the  care 
lessness  or  malice  of  some  soldier  or  sailor.  After  eight  o'clock, 
by  the  light  of  the  burning  houses,  we  were  marched  through  the 
town  and  a  few  miles  beyond,  where  we  bivouacked. 

Before  leaving  Hamilton,  and  at  the  suggestion  of  Colonels 
Stevenson  and  Amory,  who  had  already  made  similar  represen 
tations,  our  field  officers  waited  upon  the  general  and  represented 
to  him  that  the  men  were  fatigued,  footsore,  and  broken  by  the 
continuous  marching,  lack  of  rest  and  sufficient  food,  and  would 


THE  TARBORO'   MARCH. 


123 


be  unable  to  proceed  much  farther.  He  expressed  regret  at 
being  obliged  to  press  his  force  so  hard,  and  said  that  he  would 
only  have  to  move  them  a  little  farther,  where  there  was  im 
portant  work  which  would  soon  be  accomplished,  after  which  he 
would  at  once  turn  homeward  to  New  Berne. 

At  daylight  Wednesday  morning  we  broke  camp  and  went  on 
in  the  direction  of  Tarboro'.     We  met  large  numbers  of  pigs,  lean 


and  active  as  hounds,  many  of  which  were  sacrificed  to  appease 
our  hunger.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  pigs,  fowls,  and  sweet  pota 
toes  which  we  foraged,  we  could  hardly  have  gone  so  far  into  the 
enemy's  country,  for  no  meat  was  given  out  after  our  start.  Our 
five  days'  rations  were  consumed  in  three,  and  three  pieces  of 
hard  bread,  with  a  little  coffee  and  what  we  could  pick  up,  had 
been  for  some  time  our  daily  ration.  At  one  period  of  this 
march,  during  forty-eight  hours  some  of  us  received  but  a  single 
piece  of  hard-tack. 

We  were  halted  at  noon  and  allowed  to  make  coffee  and  cook 
whatever  we  had  foraged  during  the  forenoon.  There  was  here  a 
fork  in  the  road,  one  branch  leading  directly  to  Tarboro'  and 
the  other  by  a  circuitous  route  to  the  same  place.  After  lunch 


124  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

the  same  detachment  sent  forward  yesterday  —  namely,  Com 
panies  A  and  G  of  the  Forty-fourth,  under  Captain  James  M. 
Richardson,  with  a  few  of  the  cavalry,  and  two  small  brass  how 
itzers,  all  commanded  by  Major  Garrard  of  the  cavalry  —  were 
sent  forward  on  the  direct  road  to  make  a  demonstration,  while 
the  main  body  followed  the  other  road,  which  passed  through 
many  swamps.  The  air  was  close  and  murky,  and  the  marching 
very  hard  upon  the  footsore  and  hungry  men. 

The  two  companies  proceeded  without  adventure  until  about 
the  setting  of  the  sun,  when  they  passed  a  house  on  the  left  of 
the  road  with  the  doors  standing  open,  apparently  just  deserted. 
On  the  opposite  side  of  the  road  was  a  blacksmith's  shop  with 
the  fires  in  the  forge  still  lighted.  There  was  unnatural  quiet, 
only  broken  by  the  complaint  of  a  grumbler  who  was  declaring 
his  belief  that  there  was  not  a  Rebel  within  twenty-five  miles,  and 
that  it  was  a  confounded  shame  thus  to  march  the  legs  off  the 
men,  when  — flash,  bang  !  —  from  the  brush  on  the  side  of  the 
road  came  a  volley,  emptying  two  or  three  saddles  and  wounding 
two  of  the  horses  at  the  head  of  the  little  column,  bringing  it  to 
a  sudden  halt.  Company  A,  with  some  of  the  cavalry  and  one 
howitzer,  was  in  the  advance,  and  Company  G,  with  the  remain 
ing  cavalry  and  howitzer,  followed.  Immediately  upon  firing  the 
volley,  and  before  our  men  could  recover  from  their  surprise,  the 
ambushers  fled  across  the  fields  to  the  woods  beyond.  Looking 
across  to  the  left  near  to  the  wood,  around  some  hay  or  fodder 
stacks  could  be  seen  men  cautiously  moving  with  guns  in  their 
hands.  Order  was  given  to  face  to  the  left,  and  the  fences  were 
torn  down  for  the  cavalry  to  pass  into  the  field.  This  order, 
however,  was  countermanded,  and  facing  again  forward  they  were 
marched  a  little  farther  on,  both  howitzers  were  planted  in  front 
pointing  up  the  road,  and  Company  G  was  put  into  position  to 
support  them,  with  Company  A  as  reserve.  The  major  rode  a 
few  feet  in  advance  of  the  guns,  and  with  his  glass  tried  to  make 
out  the  position  of  the  enemy.  He  had  hardly  applied  it  to  his 
eye  when  a  rifle-shot  was  fired,  and  the  involuntary  ducking  of  his 
head  told  how  near  the  bullet  passed.  A  scout  who  had  been 
sent  out  cautiously  to  examine  and  ascertain  what  force  was  be 
fore  them,  at  this  time  came  in  from  woods  on  the  right,  reporting 


THE  TARBORO'    MARCH.  125 

that  strong  works  with  many  men  and  guns  opposed  farther 
advance.  In  front,  where  the  road  entered  the  forest,  it  appeared 
as  if  intrenchments  crossed,  and  it  was  said  that  the  glass  dis 
tinguished  guns  in  position  to  sweep  the  road  whereon  our  men 
stood.  This  caused  alarm  to  our  diminutive  force,  and  with  little 
hesitation  the  order  was  given,  "  About,  face  !  forward,  march  !  " 
and  after  a  few  steps,  "  Double-quick,  march !  "  Thus  for  nearly 
four  miles  they  were  compelled  to  run  before  the  command  was 
given,  "  Halt !  "  Notwithstanding  the  intimation  given  that  if 
any  fell  out  they  would  be  sabred  by  the  cavalry  bringing  up 
the  rear,  so  that  the  enemy  might  not  be  able  to  get  informa 
tion  of  the  littleness  of  the  force,  a  few  gave  out  completely  in 
this  rapid  retreat,  and  were  put  upon  the  gun-carriages  so  as  not 
to  be  left  behind.  One  of  the  dead  cavalrymen  was  also  taken 
along  upon  a  gun.  Arriving  at  the  place  where  they  had  halted 
for  lunch  at  noon,  exhausted,  they  stopped  to  rest  and  bury  the 
dead. 

The  main  force  was  gone.  They  were  in  the  midst  of  the 
enemy,  and,  lest  their  presence  should  be  betrayed,  it  was  ordered 
to  hold  no  conversation,  not  even  in  a  whisper,  and  pickets  were 
stationed  with  directions  to  shoot  without  challenge  any  one  who 
approached.  It  had  been  dark  for  more  than  half  an  hour  when 
this  spot  was  reached,  and  the  men  threw  themselves  down  upon 
the  ground  for  rest.  Now  it  began  to  sprinkle,  and  soon  to  rain 
heavily.  Scouts  were  sent  forward,  some  of  whom  returned  say 
ing  the  road  was  clear,  and  the  men  were  awakened  and  ordered 
to  advance.  Stiff,  tired,  and  footsore,  they  hobbled  along  in  the 
rain  for  about  two  miles,  when  another  scout  came  in  who  re 
ported  he  had  found  the  camp  some  distance  ahead,  and  that 
General  Foster  had  sent  word  for  them  to  rest  where  they  were 
until  morning.  Thereupon  they  sought  soft  places  in  and  near 
the  road,  and  despite  the  falling  rain  and  chilly  atmosphere  soon 
fell  into  sound  slumber. 

In  about  an  hour  one  of  the  posted  guard  came  in  saying  that 
a  considerable  force  of  the  enemy  had  just  crossed  the  road  be 
tween  them  and  the  camp,  about  half  a  mile  ahead.  For  a  short 
time  things  looked  serious,  and  it  seemed  doubtful  if  they  would 
be  permitted  to  join  the  main  force ;  but  about  two  hours  later 


126  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

a  messenger  from  the  camp  found  and  gave  them  directions  to 
move  there  immediately. 

The  mud  was  now  deep,  and  so  sticky  that  walking  was  more 
difficult.  It  was  sunrise  when  they  reached  camp,  jaded  and 
worn. 

After  hot  coffee  and  something  to  eat,  it  having  been  ascer 
tained  that  Tarboro'  was  strongly  reinforced  with  artillery  and 
cavalry  from  Richmond,  the  general,  after  a  council  of  his  offi 
cers,  determined  it  not  to  be  prudent  to  make  an  attack,  for  the 
reason  that  the  infantry  force  was  insufficient  to  protect  the  guns, 
the  loss  of  which  he  could  not  afford  to  risk ;  and  therefore  he 
faced  us  homeward. 

All  that  day  until  dark  we  marched  through  mud,  rain,  and 
snow,  back  to  Hamilton,  many  falling  out  through  exhaustion, 
who  were  taken  up  by  the  ambulances  and  baggage-wagons, 
the  enemy's  cavalry  in  considerable  numbers  hanging  on  our 
skirts  and  rear,  watching  an  opportunity  to  cut  some  of  us  off. 
At  Hamilton,  wet  to  the  skin,  we  took  possession  of  the  de 
serted  buildings,  —  the  first  shelter  which  we  had  had  since  leav 
ing  "  Little  "  Washington.  Getting  what  rest  and  sleep  we  could, 
on  the  next  morning,  Friday,  we  awoke  to  find  an  inch  of  snow 
upon  the  ground,  and  the  flakes  falling  as  thick  and  merrily  as 
on  a  Christmas  Day  in  New  England. 

Fearing  an  attack  under  disadvantage,  we  were  not  permitted 
longer  delay ;  so  we  fell  in  and  wearily  marched  to  Williamstown, 
reaching  there  about  half-past  four  in  the  afternoon,  where  we 
were  once  more  quartered  in  the  empty  dwellings.  On  this  day's 
march  large  quantities  of  honey  were  secured  from  the  many 
hives  abounding  in  the  vicinity,  and  officers  as  well  as  privates 
were  seen  tramping  on,  their  dippers  filled  with  the  luscious 
comb,  regaling  themselves  by  the  aid  of  clean-licked  fingers, 
their  besmeared  faces  giving  silent  but  expressive  voice  to  feel 
ings  of  gratitude  for  the  unexpected  treat. 

At  Williamstown  we  remained  until  Sunday  morning  to  give 
us  rest,  being  now  under  protection  of  the  gunboats.  Many 
were  here  obliged  to  go  into  a  temporary  hospital  established  in 
one  of  the  houses,  Colonel  Stevenson  being  among  the  number. 
Yesterday,  forty  more  from  our  regiment,  entirely  used  up,  were 


THE  TARBORO'   MARCH.  1 27 

put  upon  gunboats  at  Hamilton.  Other  regiments  suffered  pro 
portionately  more  than  ours,  the  youth  of  our  men  proving  more 
elastic  in  recovery  from  the  effects  of  hardship  and  privations. 
Our  long  marches  at  Readville,  too,  which  at  the  time  seemed 
so  unnecessary,  had  done  much  to  toughen  and  prepare  us  for 
this  kind  of  work. 

It  being  considered  unwise  to  leave  the  protection  of  the  gun 
boats,  instead  of  marching  us  back  to  Washington  we  were  to 
continue  down  by  the  Roanoke  River  to  Plymouth,  about  twenty- 
two  miles  away.  Therefore  at  daylight  Sunday  we  resumed  the 
road.  Notwithstanding  our  rest,  we  were  still  lame  and  unfit  to 
march,  and  must  have  resembled  a  host  of  beggars.  Those  in 
the  worst  condition  were  placed  at  the  head  of  the  column  where 
marching  is  easier,  and  many  officers  kindly  gave  up  their  horses 
for  them  to  ride,  while  they  varied  their  own  experience  by  pro 
ceeding  on  foot.  Walking  limbered  our  joints  and  took  the  stiff 
ness  from  our  limbs,  and  after  the  halt  for  dinner,  the  roads  being 
much  improved,  the  near  approach  of  the  termination  of  our  jour 
ney  revived  our  spirits,  and  one  or  two  breaking  forth  in  song, 
the  others  joyously  took  up  the  refrain,  and  "We  're  going  home  " 
was  rendered  with  deep  and  appreciative  feeling. 

At  four  in  the  afternoon  we  filed  into  a  cornfield  as  usual  to 
encamp,  and  the  invalids,  Assistant-Surgeon  Fisher  being  now 
among  that  number,  were  comfortably  established  in  a  neigh 
boring  farm-house.  The  day  had  been  fine,  the  air  cool  and 
bracing,  and  the  marching,  on  account  of  better  roads,  much 
easier.  The  moon  arose  bright  and  charming,  and  with  serious 
feelings  the  officers  and  men  assembled  around  the  fire  at  head 
quarters,  where  hymns  were  sung,  Chaplain  Hall  offered  prayer, 
and  afterward  addressed  us,  impressively  alluding  to  the  com 
rades  we  had  lost  and  the  hardships  we  had  shared.  At  the 
close  we  broke  up  and  retired,  much  overcome  by  the  novel 
scene  and  our  reflections. 

The  following  morning  we  started  early,  and  halted  just  outside 
the  town  of  Plymouth  at  noon.  The  weather  was  fine,  and  many 
embraced  the  opportunity  of  taking  a  bath  in  the  river.  The 
transports  expected  here  to  convey  us  to  New  Berne  not  hav 
ing  arrived,  we  were  again  introduced  to  a  cornfield  to  use  for 


128  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS  INFANTRY. 

our  mattress.  Our  former  good  spirits  had  now  fully  returned, 
and  we  looked  forward  to  a  happy  arrival  at  our  comfortable 
barracks. 

Some  got  a  chance  to  enter  and  view  the  town,  which  was 
found  to  be,  like  Washington,  picturesque.  The  trees  overhung 
the  streets,  and  meeting  formed  a  vista  like  the  nave  prolonged 
of  a  Gothic  cathedral,  and  the  houses  with  chimneys  built  on  the 
outside,  gathered  in  at  the  second  story,  many  of  them  covered 
with  ivy,  seemed  homelike  and  cosey. 

The  next  day,  Tuesday,  November  1 1,  at  noon,  our  regiment  em 
barked  on  the  transports  "  Collins  "  and  "  Northerner,"  the  former 
having  the  schooner  "  Recruit "  in  tow,  carrying  a  portion  of  an 
other  regiment  Soon  by  some  mismanagement  the  schooner  was 
upon  a  shoal,  over  which  the  captain  of  the  "  Collins  "  attempted 
to  haul  her,  thereby  quickly  getting  her  into  a  bad  position. 
Colonel  Lee  ordered  him  to  shift  the  hawser  and  pull  her  off  stern 
first,  which  the  captain  refused  to  do,  whereupon  the  colonel  at 
once  put  him  under  arrest  and  sent  him  to  his  cabin.  General 
Foster,  coming  up  in  the  "  Pilot-boy,"  approved  this  action,  and 
gave  charge  of  the  "  Collins  "  to  the  captain  of  the  "  Recruit," 
which  was  soon  taken  off  the  shoal  and  proceeded  on  its  way 
with  the  rest  down  the  river.  The  behavior  of  the  captain  of  the 
"Collins"  aroused  suspicion  in  all  minds,  for  he  seemed  in  no 
hurry  to  relieve  the  vessel  from  her  condition,  where  in  case  of 
an  attack  we  would  have  been  in  a  very  embarrassing  situation. 
He,  however,  professed  great  indignation  at  his  arrest  and  con 
finement,  and  informed  the  colonel  that  he  intended  to  "  meet 
him  on  the  field  of  honor,"  and  also  in  the  courts  of  law. 

Our  run  down  the  river  was  greatly  enjoyed;  for  though  the 
banks  were  low,  yet  the  growth  of  trees,  shrubs,  and  brakes,  — 
the  former  draped  with  moss,  —  and  the  richly-colored  reeds, 
foliage,  and  grasses,  rendered  it  pleasant  to  the  view. 

That  night  we  cast  anchor,  but  early  on  Wednesday  morning 
we  again  steamed  away  through  Albemarle  Sound,  passing  Roan- 
oke  Island,  into  Pamlico  Sound.  The  "Northerner"  ran  upon 
a  bar  and  was  compelled  to  wait  some  hours  before  it  could  be 
got  off.  Soon  it  was  again  fast,  and  all  were  taken  aboard  another 
steamer  until  it  was  relieved.  The  day  was  fine,  and  the  monoto- 


THE  TARBORO'   MARCH.  1 29 

nous  sound  from  the  engines,  combined  with  our  fatigue,  caused 
us  to  pass  the  time  in  charming  rest  and  dozing.  In  the  night  the 
"  Northerner  "  once  more  was  aground,  and  about  ninety  horses 
aboard  were  taken  upon  another  boat  before  she  could  be  floated. 

After  another  day  upon  the  water,  at  half-past  eight  on  Thurs 
day  night,  those  upon  this  vessel,  because  of  its  drawing  too 
much  water  to  get  to  the  wharf,  were  taken  upon  the  "  M.  S. 
Allison,"  and  at  about  nine  were  safely  landed  at  New  Berne, 
when  they  hastened  to  the  barracks,  where,  to  their  joy  and  sur 
prise,  a  princely  supper  of  baked  beans,  fried  onions,  sweet 
potatoes,  hot  coffee,  and  hard-tack  awaited  them,  prepared  by  the 
boys  who  had  been  left  in  charge.  Joyously  and  ravenously  they 
set  to  and  devoured  the  repast,  filled  with  gratitude  for  their 
present  relief  from  hardship. 

The  boys  upon  the  "  Collins  "  did  not  land  until  daylight  on 
the  next  day,  November  14,  when  they  too  were  treated  to  a 
generous  meal  at  their  barracks,  which  was  truly  a  "  break  fast  " 
for  them. 

They  had  just  been  experiencing  lively  times  at  New  Berne,  a 
serious  attack  having  been  made  at  various  points  and  the  pickets 
driven  in.  But  the  enemy  had  delayed  too  long,  for  many  of 
the  troops  connected  with  our  expedition  having  returned  were 
immediately  sent  out  to  repel  them,  and  the  iron-clad  car  "  Moni 
tor  "  ran  up  on  the  railroad  and  shelled  the  woods,  driving  them 
off  with  some  loss.  Our  casualties  were  one  man  killed  of  the 
Twenty-fourth  Massachusetts,  and  six  wounded. 

Thus  was  accomplished  our  first  expedition.  Its  object,  to 
destroy  the  iron-clad  ram  "  Albemarle,"  then  constructing  at  Tar- 
boro',  to  save  Plymouth  from  capture  by  the  enemy,  and  if 
possible  to  entrap  the  force  gathering  for  that  purpose,  was  but 
partially  successful,  as  they  were  too  wary  and  strong  for  us. 
But  we  gained  valuable  experience,  which  was  well  calculated  to 
try  our  mettle  as  soldiers.  Under  our  baptism  of  fire  we  had 
stood  firm  and  unflinching.  Though  by  the  blunder  of  an  offi 
cious  staff  officer  overruling  the  previous  order  of  the  colonel 
our  two  right  flank  companies,  unsuspicious  of  danger,  were 
massed  in  the  waters  of  the  creek  just  before  the  sheltered 
enemy,  yet  they  hardly  wavered  under  the  murderous  volley  so 

9 


130 


FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 


suddenly  poured  into  them,  but  rushed  forward  with  enthusiasm 
without  waiting  for  orders.  Of  our  demeanor,  at  an  inspection 
had  immediately  after  our  return,  General  Foster  took  occasion 
to  say  publicly  that  we  "  behaved  like  veterans."  In  marching, 
too,  the  best  did  not  surpass  us,  and  in  every  manner  we  won 
the  praises  of  our  commanding  officers,  as  also  the  esteem  and 
respect  of  the  older  regiments.  The  good  humor  manifested  by 
our  boys  under  adverse  circumstances  drew  forth  remark  Toil 


ing  weary  miles  over  the  worst  of  roads,  with  blistered  feet  and 
clothing  saturated  by  water  from  the  skies  above  and  swamps 
beneath,  with  no  prospect  ahead  more  cheering  than  that  of  a 
bivouac  under  the  open  sky,  upon  the  damp  and  frosty  earth, 
often  some  genial  comrade  would  enliven  the  spirits  of  his  com 
panions  by  a  witty  remark,  or  make  them  forget  their  discom 
forts  by  breaking  forth  in  melody  to  be  contagiously  taken 
up  in  chorus  by  all.  In  that  dismal  swamp  on  our  return  march, 
closed  in  by  the  gloom  of  the  surrounding  woods  and  the  night, — 
on  such  an  occasion,  the  "  Old  Mountain  Tree  "  was  rendered 
with  such  feeling  that  it  left  an  impression  which  will  never  be 
effaced. 

The  friendship  entered  into  upon  this  march  between  us  and 
the  other  regiments  of  our  brigade,  strengthened  by  subsequent 


THE  TARBORO'    MARCH.  131 

common  hardships  and  dangers,  will  never  be  severed.  Dear 
to  us  always  will  be  our  comrades  of  the  Fifth  Rhode  Island, 
Tenth  Connecticut,  and  Twenty-fourth  Massachusetts;  and  "  Lit 
tle  Creek,"  "Rawle's  Mill,"  and  the  "Tarboro'  March"  will 
ever  be  subjects  of  interest  to  the  survivors  of  the  Massachusetts 
Forty-fourth. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

GOLDSBORO'   EXPEDITION. 

ARLY  on  Thursday,  morning, 
Dec.  11,  1862,  all  was  life 
and  bustle  in  camp,  the  final 
touches  were  given  to  our 
preparations  made  the  day 
before,  and  by  6  A.  M.  regi 
mental  line  was  formed.  But 
our  start  soon  proved  rather 
the  prelude  to  one  of  those 
tedious  waits  that  often  accom 
pany  the  moving  of  a  large 
force  except  when  near  the 

enemy;  and,  for  our  field  of  operations,  it  was  indeed  a  large 
force  that  was  now  about  to  cut  loose  from  its  base,  and,  relying 
largely  upon  the  resources  of  the  country,  to  penetrate  into  the 
interior  of  the  Old  North  State. 

The  brigade  of  which  we  formed  a  part  was  composed  of  the 
Twenty-fourth  and  Forty-fourth  Massachusetts,  Fifth  Rhode 
Island,  and  Tenth  Connecticut  Regiments,  and  was  commanded 
by  Colonel  Stevenson.  The  rest  of  our  force  consisted  of  Colonel 
H.  C.  Lee's  brigade,  the  Fifth,  Twenty-fifth,  Third,  Forty-sixth, 
and  Twenty-seventh  Massachusetts  Regiments ;  Colonel  Amory's 
brigade,  the  Seventeenth,  Twenty-third,  Forty-third,  Forty-fifth 
and  Fifty-first  Massachusetts  Regiments  ;  Brigadier-General  Wes- 
sell's  brigade,  the  Eighty-fifth,  Ninety-second,  Ninety-sixth  New 
York,  Eighty-fifth,  One  Hundred  and  First,  One  Hundred  and 
Third  Pennsylvania  Regiments.  Also  the  Ninth  New  Jersey  In 
fantry  and  Third  New  York  Cavalry;  six  batteries  of  the  Third 
New  York  Artillery,  and  Belger's  Battery  of  the  First  Rhode 


134  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

Island  Artillery,  with  sections  of  Twenty-third  and  Twenty-fourth 
New  York  Independent  Batteries,  numbering  in  all  about  ten 
thousand  infantry,  forty  guns  and  six  hundred  and  forty  cavalry, 
and  all  under  the  personal  command  of  Major-General  J.  G. 
Foster. 

Our  previous  expedition  had  inspired  us  with  absolute  confi 
dence  in  the  skill  and  resource  of  our  commander,  and  we  were 
ready  to  be  led  wherever  he  chose,  confident  that  with  him  suc 
cess  was  certain. 

We  beguiled  the  tedium  of  our  various  halts  with  stories  of  our 
last  expedition  and  conjectures  on  what  the  Rebs  might  have  in 
store  for  us.  Proverbially  light-hearted  as  the  soldier  fortunately 
is,  we  joked  each  other  on  this  or  that  peculiarity  of  outfit  which 
our  late  experiences  had  taught  us  was  useful;  but  indeed  we 
were  carrying  much  more  than  before,  for  fifty  rounds  of  cart 
ridges,  instead  of  forty,  had  been  served  out  to  each  man,  besides 
his  woollen  blanket,  overcoat,  and  well-filled  knapsack. 

At  last,  by  2  P.  M.,  our  part  of  the  line  was  fairly  started,  and 
we  kept  on  without  noticeable  incident  till  about  7  P.  M.,  when  we 
halted  for  the  night.  Being  towards  the  rear  of  the  column,  the 
camp-fires  of  the  troops  in  advance  of  us  were  blazing  in  all  direc 
tions  as  we  turned  into  the  cornfield  where  wre  were  to  bivouac. 
Place  yourself  in  one  of  our  public  squares  at  night  and  see  the 
long  lines  of  gaslights  radiating  in  half  a  dozen  directions ;  then 
imagine  each  light  a  camp-fire,  each  street  a  regimental  or  brigade 
line  rising  and  falling  with  the  undulations  of  the  ground,  horses 
neighing,  men  shouting,  the  great  white-topped  wagons  of  the 
supply-train  drawn  up  in  line,  the  flames  here  shooting  high  and 
there  turned  to  glowing  embers,  and  for  a  background  the  dark 
night  with  the  sentinel  pacing  to  and  fro,  and  you  have  a  wild 
and  inspiring  scene,  such  as  greeted  us ;  but  we  soon  fell  into  our 
proper  position,  and  ourselves  became  part  of  the  scene,  eager  to 
put  an  end  to  our  cold  and  hunger.  The  middle  of  the  day  and 
early  afternoon  had  been  very  hot,  so  oppressive  that  many  nearly 
fainted ;  but  at  dark  it  grew  cold,  and  water  froze  in  our  canteens 
during  the  night.  Camp-fires,  however,  made  us  comfortable; 
and  with  our  feet  to  the  fire  and  plenty  of  fence-rails  both  for  bed 
and  fuel,  we  slept  soundly  till  early  reveille. 


GOLDSBORO'   EXPEDITION.  135 

On  Friday  the  column  started  by  sunrise,  but  it  was  not  till 
about  half-past  nine  that  our  regiment  moved  out  from  the  field. 
Our  march  was  a  hard  one.  The  roads  were  muddy,  and  as  the 
column  will  always  open  out  at  a  mud-hole,  so  when  it  comes  to 
good  travelling  again,  the  lost  ground  must  be  regained ;  thus  we 
had  a  succession  of  halts  and  double-quick,  with  mud  and  water 
between.  Our  strong  pioneer  force  did  capital  service  this  day 
in  clearing  the  road  of  the  felled  trees  with  which  the  Rebels  had 
sought  to  delay  our  progress.  Much  of  our  way  also  was  through 
deep  sand ;  and  indeed  we  had  specimens  of  the  several  compo 
nent  parts  of  the  foundations  of  the  State ;  namely,  sand,  clay, 
and  water. 

We  halted  for  dinner  about  one  P.  M.,  but  before  we  could  get 
our  fires  ready  to  boil  our  coffee  the  order  came,  "  Fall  in,  Forty- 
fourth,  lively !  "  and  we  were  hurried  off  two  or  three  miles  on 
the  double-quick.  Early  in  the  afternoon  our  adjutant  told  us  we 
were  within  five  miles  of  Kinston,  and  should  march  but  a  short 
distance  farther  that  night,  —  tantalizing  information  indeed  it 
proved  to  be ;  for  it  was  not  until  ten  o'clock  that  we  bivouacked 
for  the  night,  and  then  we  had  neither  seen  nor  heard  anything 
of  Kinston. 

All  this  was  better  understood  a  few  days  later,  when  we  learned 
that  the  enemy  had  felled  trees,  planted  cannon,  dug  rifle-pits,  and 
in  various  ways  had  prepared  to  meet  us  and  drive  us  back  on 
the  main  road  ;  while  our  ever-ready  General  Foster  had  learned 
of  their  plans,  and  at  daylight  had  sent  out  some  cavalry  who  had 
a  skirmish  with  the  enemy  about  four  miles  beyond  our  camp. 
Coming  to  a  cross-road  known  as  Vine  Swamp  road,  three  com 
panies  of  this  cavalry  pushed  rapidly  up  the  main  road  towards 
Kinston  and  found  the  bridge  over  Beaver  Creek  partially 
destroyed.  Hastily  repairing  this,  and  leaving  a  regiment  of 
infantry  —  the  Fifty-first  Massachusetts  — and  a  section  of  the 
Twenty-third  New  York  Battery,  which  had  now  come  up,  to 
hold  the  bridge,  the  cavalry  kept  on,  occasionally  skirmishing 
and  keeping  up  the  show  of  an  advancing  force,  while  the  main 
body  turned  off  by  the  Vine  Swamp  road. 

To  continue  this  digression :  the  next  day,  Saturday,  a  detach 
ment  was  sent  up  another  road  to  engage  the  attention  of  the 


136 


FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 


enemy,  and  at  Southwest  Creek,  about  six  miles  from  Kinston, 
found  them  posted  in  force,  but  after  a  sharp  fight  drove  them 
from  their  position  and  took  one  gun.  Some  Rebels  who  had 
fled  into  the  woods  came  in  and  gave  themselves  up.  The  de 
tachment  slept  on  the  wet  ground  in  sight  of  the  enemy's  fires, 
but  were  not  allowed  any  for  themselves. 


But  to  resume  the  account  of  our  own  special  movements.  We 
left  camp  on  Saturday  about  8.30  A.M.  and  marched  till  I  P.M., 
when  we  turned  into  a  cornfield  and  formed  line  of  battle  in  rear 
of  a  battery.  In  front  of  us  was  a  thick  wood  in  which  the  enemy 
were  supposed  to  be.  Soon  we  heard  heavy  cannonading  at  the 
front,  with  dense  smoke.  After  waiting  in  suspense  for  about 
two  hours,  momentarily  expecting  orders  to  move,  we  wrere  told 
to  prepare  to  camp,  and  as  fires  were  not  to  be  allowed,  a  squad 
was  detailed  to  cut  pine  boughs  for  shelter.  Fortunately  for  us, 
however,  the  prohibition  against  fires  was  afterwards  removed. 
Provisions  were  nearly  out,  but  the  quartermaster  issued  fresh 
rations  when  the  wagons  came  up,  so  we  passed  a  comfortable 
night.  Sunday  morning  we  left  camp  soon  after  eight  o'clock, 
and  after  marching  about  five  miles,  occasionally  hearing  heavy 


GOLDSBORO'   EXPEDITION.  137 

cannonading  ahead,  we  turned  into  a  cornfield  in  support  of  a 
battery.  After  a  short  time  we  returned  to  the  road,  and  march 
ing  past  a  thick  piece  of  woods,  turned  into  another  cornfield  on 
our  right  and  again  formed  in  support  of  a  battery.  Meantime 
the  firing  at  the  front  grew  louder  and  more  distinct  every  mo 
ment,  and  unslinging  our  knapsacks  and  leaving  them  in  charge 
of  one  man  of  each  company,  we  prepared  to  move  on  towards 
the  front. 

To  make  more  clear  the  position  and  the  action  in  which  we 
were  now  about  to  take  a  part,  though  not  a  leading  one,  it  is 
necessary  to  go  back  a  little. 

Directly  in  front  of  the  position  which  we  then  occupied,  the 
upland  sloped  down  through  a  piece  of  woods  on  the  right  of  the 
road  to  a  narrow  belt  of  swamp,  which  was  thick  with  small  trees, 
vines,  briers,  and  all  the  luxuriant  and  tangled  growth  of  a  South 
ern  jungle  ;  beyond  the  swamp  the  ground  rose  very  slightly,  just 
enough  to  clear  the  water,  and  became  a  nearly  flat  plain,  covered 
on  the  right  of  the  road  with  an  open  growth  of  heavy  pine-trees, 
each  large  enough  to  afford  considerable  protection  to  a  sharp 
shooter.  Near  the  road,  in  this  grove  of  pines,  and  perhaps  three 
hundred  feet  beyond  the  swamp,  was  a  rudely  built  church,  giv 
ing  an  admirable  shelter  to  the  enemy.  A  short  distance  further 
on  was  the  river,  running  at  right  angles  to  the  road,  and  crossed 
by  a  bridge.  On  the  hither  side  of  the  river,  across  the  road  from 
the  wood,  the  ground  rose  into  an  open  cornfield  which  stretched 
away  to  the  river-bank,  rising  slightly  without  interruption  except 
for  a  trifling  earthwork  just  at  the  bank  of  the  stream,  which  all 
along  here  was  twenty  or  thirty  feet  below  the  level  of  the  fields. 

The  action  (to  which  was  given  the  name  of  the  battle  of 
Kinston)  began  by  our  force,  with  Wessell's  brigade  in  front, 
advancing  down  the  road  and  being  met  and  checked  by  the 
enemy,  who  were  posted  on  both  sides  of  the  road  beyond  the 
swamp.  A  line  was  then  deployed  on  the  right  of  the  road, 
on  our  side  of  the  swamp,  and  was  slowly  and  persistently  moved 
forward  to  meet  the  enemy,  who  were  in  strong  force ;  and  upon 
our  brave  fellows,  struggling  knee  to  waist  deep  in  the  mud-holes 
and  tangled  in  the  vines  and  briers  of  the  swamp,  their  fire  rained 
with  pitiless  and  most  destructive  violence.  Following  the  Tenth 


138 


FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 


Connecticut  and  Forty-fifth  Massachusetts,  the  right  wing  of  our 
regiment  pushed  its  way  through  the  swamp  and  joined  the  left 
wing,  which  meantime  had  led  the  way  down  the  road  and  had 
formed  line  in  the  cornfield  on  the  left  and  beyond  the  water. 
Almost  at  that  moment  there  was  a  loud  shout  in  front,  and  we 
saw  the  gallant  Tenth  Connecticut,  with  other  troops,  in  hot  pur 
suit  of  the  enemy  towards  the  bridge.  So  close  was  the  pursuit, 
that  though  the  enemy  succeeded  in  firing  the  bridge, — for  which 
they  had  made  full  preparation, —  yet  our  men  soon  extinguished 


it  and  crossed  over,  passing  the  charred  body  of  the  poor  fellow 
whose  duty  it  had  been  to  set  the  fire,  but  who,  struck  by  our 
bullets,  had  fallen  into  the  flames  he  himself  had  kindled.  Our 
advance  pressed  on  to  the  town,  but  the  Forty-fourth  had  to 
march  back  for  its  knapsacks ;  and  when  we  returned  to  the 
bridge  we  had  to  wait  some  time  before  crossing,  and  many  of 
us  talked  with  the  Rebel  prisoners  whom  we  found  waiting  there 
also.  They  seemed  perfectly  miserable,  and  several  said  that 
they  were  quite  ready  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance. 

The  road  on  our  side  of  the  bridge  was  at  right  angles  with  the 
river,  but  on  the  other  side  divided  right  and  left,  with  a  consid 
erable  earthwork  with  six  guns  opposite  the  end  of  the  bridge, 


GOLDSBORO*    EXPEDITION.  139 

and  a  long  line  of  rifle-pits  stretching  down  river  to  the  right. 
The  enemy  retreated  in  great  confusion,  most  of  them  to  the  left 
towards  the  town,  but  a  considerable  portion  to  the  right  down 
the  river-bank.  We  followed  the  left-hand  road  towards  Kinston, 
and  all  along  it  was  strewn  with  their  trappings,  which  they  had 
thrown  away  in  their  flight,  —  blankets  (an  old  comforter  or  a 
piece  of  carpet),  haversacks,  canteens,  cartridge-boxes,  etc. 

We  marched  directly  into  the  town.  It  was  a  remarkably 
pretty  place,  well  laid  out,  with  broad  streets  at  right  angles, 
neatly  painted  houses,  well-kept  yards,  and  a  decided  air  of  thrift 
about  it.  In  the  street  were  huge  piles  of  corn  and  cotton  burn 
ing;  but  the  houses  were  unharmed,  and  their  occupants  had 
mostly  remained.  The  railroad  station  had  been  fired,  but  was  ex 
tinguished  before  much  damage  had  been  done ;  and  after  march 
ing  about  town  some  time,  we  formed  in  line  near  this  station 
to  support  a  couple  of  batteries  which  were  shelling  the  outskirts 
of  the  town.  Presently  they  started  along  the  road  leading 
beyond  the  town,  shelling  occasionally  as  they  advanced,  and 
we  after  them.  After  about  a  mile  of  this  we  all  returned  and 
bivouacked  near  the  station.  A  well-stocked  grocery-store  near 
by  was  confiscated  to  our  use ;  and  many  a  man  will  remember 
the  welcome  corn-dodger,  baked  on  a  shingle  and  sweetened  with 
molasses,  with  which  he  regaled  himself  that  night. 

We  afterwards  learned  that  General  Foster,  after  our  occupa 
tion  of  the  town,  had  sent  a  staff  officer  with  a  flag  of  truce  to 
General  Evans,  commanding  the  Confederate  forces,  summoning 
him  to  surrender.  This,  however,  General  Evans  declined  to  do, 
and  moved  back  for  the  night  to  a  strong  position  at  Falling 
Creek,  about  six  miles  from  Kinston,  towards  Goldsboro'. 

Next  morning  we  recrossed  the  bridge,  and,  passing  the  scene 
of  the  previous  day's  fight,  took  the  road  for  Whitehall  and  Golds 
boro'.  We  realized  then,  even  more  than  we  did  the  day  before, 
what  an  iron  rain  we  had  passed  through ;  for  the  pine-trees 
around  the  church  were  literally  riddled,  and  in  many  cases  cut 
in  two,  by  the  shot  which  had  poured  upon  them.  Our  march 
that  day,  of  about  fifteen  miles,  mostly  through  sandy,  fatiguing 
roads  enlivened  by  an  occasional  ford,  was  without  special  inci 
dent;  and  towards  dark  we  turned  into  a  cornfield,  and  foraging 


140  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

parties  having  replenished  our  scanty  larder,  we  got  our  suppers 
and  slept  in  peace. 

The  following  morning,  Tuesday  the  i6th,  we  broke  camp  as 
usual,  but  had  gone  a  short  distance  only,  when,  about  nine  o'clock, 
heavy  firing  began.  Advancing  slowly,  we  at  length  turned  to 
the  left  into  a  path  which  wound  through  a  rather  open  wood,  up 
a  slight  ascent  and  on  to  a  ridge  overlooking  a  cornfield,  beyond 
which  was  a  thin  belt  of  woods  bordering  on  the  Neuse  River. 
The  road  which  we  had  just  left  kept  along  the  flat  land  and 
crossed  the  river  by  a  bridge,  near  which  the  Rebels  were  build 
ing  a  gunboat.  The  few  houses  scattered  along  this  road,  and 
mainly  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  formed  the  village  of  White 
hall.  We  marched  through  the  open  wood,  receiving  on  our 
flank  a  heavy  fire  of  shot  and  shell  from  the  batteries  across  the 
river.  One  shot  crashed  through  our  ranks,  instantly  killing  two 
men  of  Company  A.  Reaching  the  crest  of  the  ridge,  we  turned 
sharp  to  the  right,  came  down  into  the  cornfield,  crossed  it,  and 
formed  line  along  a  rail  fence  at  the  edge  of  the  woods  bordering 
the  river.  Here  for  nearly  two  hours  we  received  the  fire  of  the 
batteries  and  the  sharpshooters  who  were  posted  in  the  trees 
across  the  river,  but  with  little  opportunity  ourselves  to  make 
any  effective  return.  At  last  we  were  withdrawn,  after  some  loss 
in  killed  and  wounded,  and  posted  in  rear  of  Belger's  Rhode 
Island  Battery,  which  began  shelling  the  other  side  of  the  river. 
When  at  last  the  Rebel  batteries  were  silenced,  and  nothing  was 
heard  from  the  enemy  but  the  occasional  fire  of  their  sharp 
shooters,  then  our  batteries  were  withdrawn,  a  few  of  our  men 
were  detailed  as  sharpshooters  to  keep  the  enemy  employed,  and 
the  force  resumed  its  march. 

Among  the  numerous  incidents  of  the  day  was  the  following, 
the  truth  of  which  many  of  our  regiment  can  doubtless  vouch  for : 
One  of  our  men,  while  lying  behind  the  rail  fence,  was  struck  by 
a  Rebel  bullet ;  clasping  his  hand  to  his  side,  he  felt  his  life-blood 
gushing  from  the  wound.  His  captain  approached,  and  to  him 
the  soldier  whispered  the  words  of  farewell  which  he  wished  sent 
to  his  friends  after  his  spirit  had  departed.  The  captain,  failing 
to  see  any  blood,  asked  where  he  was  wounded.  "A  bullet  right 
through  my  side,  captain ;  I  know  there  's  no  hope."  "  I  don't 


^     -C 


GOLDSBORO'   EXPEDITION.  141 

see  any  blood,"  the  captain  replied ;  "  perhaps  you  are  not  hit  as 
hard  as  you  think."  "  What !  no  blood !  "  cried  he,  his  voice 
gaining  sudden  strength  and  for  the  first  time  looking  at  his  side. 
The  dying  man  suddenly  came  to  life,  and  seizing  his  musket 
resumed  his  place.  A  Rebel  bullet  had  shot  away  the  top  of  his 
canteen ;  the  water  was  warm,  and  pouring  over  his  hand,  he  im 
agined  it  to  be  blood,  and  so  dictated  his  last  will  and  testament. 

That  night  we  encamped  near  a  small  settlement  about  eight 
miles  from  Goldsboro'.  During  the  night,  which  for  our  own 
regiment  was  a  quiet  and  uneventful  one,  active  preparations  were 
being  made  on  both  sides  for  the  struggle,  which  all  expected  to 
come  the  next  day,  for  the  possession  of  the  railroad  bridge,  — 
the  key  of  communication  between  the  Confederate  army  in  Vir 
ginia  and  its  Southern  sources  of  supply.  The  destruction  of  this 
bridge  was,  in  fact,  the  main  object  of  our  whole  expedition. 

The  Confederate  General  Gustavus  W.  Smith,  then  in  command 
of  the  Department  of  North  Carolina  and  Southeast  Virginia,  had 
for  some  days  been  telegraphing  urgently  to  his  Secretary  of  War 
for  reinforcements  for  Goldsboro'  and  vicinity,  and  had  been 
promised  six  regiments  and  two  batteries  from  Richmond,  three 
regiments  from  Petersburg  and  its  vicinity,  and  five  thousand 
infantry  and  three  batteries  from  Beauregard,  then  at  Charles 
ton,  S.  C.  The  Petersburg  reinforcement  had  arrived  on  the  morn 
ing  of  the  1 6th,  the  day  of  the  action  at  Whitehall;  but  only  one 
regiment  of  infantry,  with  six  hundred  dismounted  cavalry  and 
a  battery,  all  under  command  of  General  Robertson,  had  taken 
part  in  that  engagement.  General  Evans  in  the  mean  time  had 
returned  to  Kinston,  in  the  expectation  of  crossing  the  Neuse 
bridge  and  harassing  our  rear.  Finding,  however,  that  we  had 
destroyed  the  bridge,  Evans  returned  and  was  ordered  to  report 
at  Goldsboro',  where  he  arrived  early  on  the  morning  of  the 
1 7th.  Meantime,  we  on  our  side  were  not  idle.  Five  companies 
of  the  Third  New  York  Cavalry,  with  a  couple  of  pieces  of  artil 
lery  of  the  Twenty-third  New  York,  had  been  sent  towards  the 
railroad  south  of  Goldsboro'  and  struck  it  at  Mount  Olive  sta 
tion,  about  fourteen  miles  from  Goldsboro',  in  the  direction  of 
Wilmington.  The  little  village  was  taken  completely  by  surprise, 
the  track  was  torn  up,  station  and  water-tanks  destroyed,  and  the 


142  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

work  of  destruction  completed  by  detachments  sent  up  and  down 
the  road  for  several  miles.  By  midnight  all  these  outlying  parties 
had  returned  to  the  main  body. 

The  position  and  action  of  the  opposing  forces  on  the  i/th  was 
as  follows  :  On  the  south  side  of  the  river,  near  the  railroad  bridge 
and  in  the  line  of  our  advance,  lay  Clingman's  Brigade  of  infantry 
and  artillery.  In  his  rear,  towards  the  county  bridge,  which  was 
about  half  a  mile  higher  up  stream,  Evans's  Brigade  was  posted. 
On  the  north  side  of  the  river,  artillery  was  posted  at  both  bridges, 
and  also  at  a  bend  in  the  stream  between  them,  so  as  to  brine 

o 

an  enfilading  fire  to  bear  on  the  southern  approach  to  the  railroad 
bridge.  Having  little  or  no  cavalry,  the  enemy  early  in  the  day 
had  made  a  reconnoissance  in  force  with  infantry,  and  soon  dis 
covered  our  approach. 

At  early  dawn  our  force  had  moved  forward  and  taken  up  a 
commanding  position  on  high  ground  about  a  mile  from  the  river, 
from  which  position  our  artillery  began  to  pour  a  destructive  fire 
upon  the  enemy  on  both  sides  of  the  stream.  Meantime  a  portion 
of  our  infantry,  under  cover  of  our  artillery  fire,  advanced  across 
the  open  fields  towards  the  high  embankment  of  the  railroad,  and 
for  a  while  the  struggle  for  the  possession  of  this  important  posi 
tion  was  severe,  both  sides  fighting  with  great  obstinacy.  The  en 
emy  was  finally  driven  back,  Evans  retiring  by  the  county  bridge 
and  Clingman  by  the  railroad  bridge.  As  soon  as  the  latter  had 
crossed,  their  battery  at  the  other  end  of  the  bridge  was  pointed 
directly  down  the  track,  and  in  face  of  this  murderous  direct  fire, 
and  of  the  fire  from  the  flanking  battery  up  stream,  volunteer 
after  volunteer  advanced  to  set  fire  to  the  bridge.  At  last  Lieuten 
ant  Graham  of  the  Twenty-third  New  York  Battery,  acting  as  aide 
to  Colonel  Heckman  of  the  Ninth  New  Jersey,  who  commanded 
the  advance,  succeeded  in  firing  the  structure  and  it  was  soon 
enveloped  in  flames. 

Our  own  part  in  this  battle  was  simply  that  of  spectators ;  and 
it  was  indeed  a  sight  rarely  to  be  seen  except  in  pictures  of  battles. 
Our  brigade  was  posted  on  rising  ground,  overlooking  the  low 
land  bordering  the  river,  through  which  ran  the  railroad  embank 
ment  leading  from  the  bridge.  Below  us,  in  full  view,  were  the 
bodies  of  troops  moving  hither  and  thither,  while  the  incessant 


GOLDSBORO'   EXPEDITION.  143 

boom  of  cannon,  the  rattle  of  musketry,  the  screaming  of  shells, 
the  smoke,  now  obscuring  now  revealing  the  action,  —  all  com 
bined  to  make  a  scene  we  shall  never  forget.  When  the  volumes 
of  smoke  rising  from  the  bridge  showed  us  that  the  final  object  of 
our  expedition  was  at  last  accomplished,  we  knew  what  was  to 
follow,  and  our  own  brigade  commander,  our  loved  Tom  Steven 
son,  drawing  his  sword  half  way  from  its  scabbard  and  thrusting 
it  back  again,  called  out  to  us,  "  We  '11  go  home,  boys,  we  '11  go 
home !  "  Such  shouting  as  arose  when  the  order  came  down  the 
line,  "  Fall  in,  sling  knapsacks,  by  the  right  flank  countermarch, 
and  you  're  bound  home,"  had  never  been  heard  before  in  that 
lonely  country ;  and  the  cheers  we  gave  General  Foster,  whom  we 
passed  just  as  we  filed  into  the  road  homeward  bound,  were  wild 
enough  to  awaken  all  the  echoes  of  the  Old  North  State. 

Though  the  batteries  were  still  keeping  up  an  occasional  shell 
ing,  yet  we  all  supposed  the  battle  was  virtually  over,  and  our 
brigade  had  marched  perhaps  a  mile  and  a  half  when  we  heard 
the  cannonading  fiercely  resumed,  and  along  the  line  came  the 
order  to  countermarch ;  and  back  we  went  on  the  double-quick 
nearly  to  our  former  position. 

It  seems  that  the  enemy,  after  the  destruction  of  the  railroad 
bridge,  determined  if  possible  to  save  the  county  bridge  and  its 
communications,  and  for  that  purpose  despatched  a  strong  force 
under  General  Evans  to  cross  the  bridge  and  advance  to  feel  our 
position.  It  was  their  intention  to  attack  us  on  both  wings  at 
once  and  to  turn  our  flank.  Meantime,  however,  our  force  was 
moving  off,  returning  towards  Kinston ;  and  as  the  enemy  came 
in  sight  only  one  battery  and  a  small  force  of  infantry  and  cavalry 
appeared  opposed  to  them.  Thereupon  the  Fifty-first  and  Fifty- 
second  North  Carolina  Regiments  of  the  Confederates  were  or 
dered  to  charge  and  take  our  battery.  On  they  came,  almost  a 
perfect  line,  in  gallant  style ;  the  cool  and  determined  officer  in 
command  of  Morrison's  Battery  waited  till  they  were  within  very 
short  distance,  when  he  gave  the  order  to  fire ;  the  guns  belched 
forth  their  deadly  missiles,  and  the  advancing  ranks  were  mown 
down  like  grain.  Re-forming,  they  again  and  again  advanced, 
only  to  be  pitilessly  slaughtered  by  the  intrepid  and  relent 
less  battery.  Meanwhile  Belger's  Battery  had  returned  near  to 


144 


FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS  INFANTRY. 


Morrison's  position,  and  at  once  opened  fire  to  the  left,  where  the 
woods  were  lined  with  Rebel  infantry.  The  enemy  then  replied 
with  a  well-directed  fire  from  a  concealed  battery.  Riggs's  Bat 
tery  was  then  ordered  to  Belger's  left,  and  after  an  hour  of  vigor 
ous  cannonading  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  both  musketry  and 
artillery,  was  silenced,  and  the  fight  was  over. 

After  remaining  for  some  time   in  suspense   in  this  our  last 
position,    we   were    ordered   to    resume    our    homeward    march. 

Somewhat  less  light-hearted  than  we 
had  been  some  hours  before  when 
first  turning  our  steps  homeward,  we 
now  trudged  on,  till  towards  night 
we  reached  our  previous  camping 
ground  and  there  bivouacked. 

Next  day  we  continued  our  march, 
wearily  for  the  most  part,  the  road 
sometimes  a  mere  causeway  through 
a  swamp,  sometimes  between  neg 
lected  corn  or  cotton  fields,  some 
times  through  forests  of  blazing 
trees,  whose  flaming  trunks  of  resi 
nous  pine  were  like  colossal  torch 
es;  enlivening  ourselves  with  songs, 
while  occasionally  a  band  would 
strike  up  and  make  our  march  easier, 

as  we  insensibly  fell  into  a  steady  swing  in  time  to  the  music. 
The  cheering  and  inspiriting  effect  of  music,  which  the  history  of 
many  a  campaign  often  recites,  was  time  and  again  realized  by  us 
as  we  plodded  along  through  sombre  forest  or  dreary  clearing, 
the  excitement  of  battle  over,  wearily  longing  for  the  end  of  our 
tramp  and  for  what  then  seemed  to  us  the  unspeakable  comfort 
of  our  old  barracks.  That  night  we  halted  not  far  from  Kinston, 
and  next  morning,  proceeding  nearly  up  to  the  town,  took  the 
main  road  towards  New  Berne  by  which  the  Rebels  had  expected 
us  to  come  when  we  started  out  on  our  march,  but  which  the 
wariness  and  strategic  skill  of  our  General  Foster  had  avoided,  — 
though  he  kept  up  a  show  of  advance  upon  it,  — thus  rendering 
useless  the  very  considerable  defences  and  obstacles  which  the 


GOLDSBORO'    EXPEDITION.  145 

Rebels  had  prepared  for  us,  and  which  we  now  saw  in  reverse  as 
we  marched  for  home.  That  night  we  all  understood  that  New 
Berne  was  only  about  twenty  miles  distant,  so  making  a  start 
about  seven  o'clock  the  next  morning  we  pushed  on ;  but  the 
way  seemed  longer  and  longer,  and  as  the  afternoon  wore  away 
we  were  still  an  unknown  distance  from  the  town.  The  colonel 
halted  us  and  said  that  all  who  wished  it  might  push  on  with  him 
for  camp,  but  the  others  might  stop  where  they  were  for  the 
night.  Many  of  us  kept  on,  and  about  eight  o'clock  that  Satur 
day  night  the  lights  in  our  old  barracks  came  in  sight,  and  soon 
we  were  greeted  by  the  few  comrades  who  had  been  left  be 
hind,  unable  from  sickness  or  other  causes  to  go  with  us,  and 
were  cheered  by  the  enlivening  music  of  our  new  regimental 
band  which  Drum-major  Babcock  had  been  training  during  our 
absence. 

The  next  morning  the  stragglers  came  in,  and  excepting  only 
those  whom  death  or  wounds  had  taken  from  us,  we  were  all  at 
home  again  and  our  expedition  was  over.  Its  labors  and  achieve 
ments  are  commemorated  in  the  following  General  Order,  which 
was  read  on  dress  parade,  Jan.  17,  1863,  namely:  - 

HEADQUARTERS  EIGHTEENTH  ARMY  CORPS, 

NEW  BERNE,  Jan.  15,  1863. 
General  Orders,  No.  18. 

In  consideration  of,  and  as  a  reward  for,  their  brave  deeds  at  Kinston, 
Whitehall,  and  Goldsboro',  the  Commanding  General  directs  thai  the 
regiments  and  batteries  which  accompanied  the  expedition  to  Goldsboro' 
inscribe  upon  their  banners  these  three  victories, 

KINSTON,  Dec.  14,  1862. 

WHITEHALL,          Dec.  16,  1862. 
GOLDSBORO',         Dec.  17,  1862. 

The  Commanding  General  hopes  that  all  fields  in  future  will  be  so  fought 
that  the  record  of  them  may  be  kept  by  inscription  on  the  banners  of  the 
regiments  engaged. 

By  command  of 

Major-General  J.  G.  FOSTER. 
SOUTHARD  HOFFMAN, 
Assistant  Adjutant-General. 

The  casualties  of  the  Federal  troops  on  this  expedition  were  as 
follows:  Officers,  killed  4,  wounded  19;  enlisted  men,  killed  88, 
wounded  468,  missing  12  :  total  591. 


146 


FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 


The  compiler  of  this  chapter  has  drawn  freely  from  numerous 
and  interesting  letters  of  various  members  of  the  regiment,  and 
from  the  following  publications :  "  Wearing  of  the  Blue,"  "  Sol 
diering  in  North  Carolina,"  "  History  of  Ninth  New  Jersey," 
"  Confederate  War  Papers  by  General  G.  W.  Smith ;  "  and  from 
advance  sheets  of  Government  War  Records,  both  Union  and 
Confederate. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


THE   PLYMOUTH    EXPEDITION. 


HEADQUARTERS  DEPARTMENT  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA, 
i8TH  ARMY  CORPS,  NEW  BERNE,  Jan.  31,  1863. 

(OLONEL  FRANCIS  L.  LEE,  Commanding 

forty  -fourth   Massachusetts   Volunteer 
Militia  : 

COLONEL,  —  You  will  embark  your  com 
mand  to-morrow  morning  at  7  o'clock 
on  the  steamer  "  Northerner  "  and  pro 
ceed  directly  to  Plymouth,  N.  C. 

The  "  Massasoit "  will  be  at  the  wharf 
at  the  foot  of  Middle  Street  for  the  pur 
pose  of  transferring  your  regiment  to  the 
"Northerner." 

Upon  your  arrival  at  that  place  you  will 
assume   command  of  the   post,  and  immedi 
ately  after  consultation  with  Captain  Flusser,  United 
States  Navy,  and  Major  Bartholomew,  Twenty-seventh 
Massachusetts  Volunteers,  take  the  necessary  steps  to 
drive  in  the  enemy's  pickets. 

It  is  reported  here  that  the  enemy  is  in  force  (about  1,000)  at  James- 
ville.  Should  you  find  this  report  corroborated  by  the  information  you 
may  receive  at  Plymouth,  you  will  advance  on  that  place  and  whip  the 
enemy;  and  if  upon  consultation  with  the  above  officers  it  should  be 
deemed  advisable,  you  are  authorized  to  advance  as  far  as  Williamston. 

It  is  necessary  that  the  advance  should  be  made  very  shortly  after  your 
arrival,  so  that  the  enemy  may  not  receive  information  of  your  arrival  at 
the  place  ;  and  you  are  therefore  advised  to  close  the  lines. 

Captain  Flusser,  United  States  Navy,  will  furnish  you  with  some  boat 
howitzers  and  crews,  and  he,  as  well  as  Major  Bartholomew,  are  strongly 
recommended  to  you  from  their  long  experience  at  the  post. 


148  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

Much  of  course  must  be  left  to  your  own  discretion,  and  the  greatest 
confidence  is  placed  in  your  judgment  and  abilities.  The  general's  desire 
is  to  drive  the  enemy  back  and  prevent  their  annoying  our  forces  at 
Plymouth. 

Yours  very  respectfully, 

SOUTHARD  HOFFMAN, 
Assistant  Adjutant-  General. 

In  obedience  to  this  order  the  regiment  was  in  line  at  7.30 
next  morning,  February  I  (Sunday),  and  soon  moved  to  the 
wharf  in  New  Berne,  whence  we  were  transferred  to  the  steamer 
"  Northerner,"  —  of  blessed  memory,  —  which  was  waiting  to  re 
ceive  us.  We  soon  started,  and,  following  the  well-known  course 
through  Pamlico  Sound,  past  Roanoke  Island,  anchoring  for  the 
night,  next  day  keeping  on  through  Albernarle  Sound  into  the 
mouth  of  Roanoke  River,  and,  as  the  shores  drew  nearer,  between 
swamps  of  low  trees  and  shrubs,  bordered  with  golden  rice,  pine 
woods,  cornfields,  and  solitary  houses,  at  4  P.  M.  on  Monday, 
the  2d,  we  made  fast  to  the  wharf  at  Plymouth.  Since  our  pre 
vious  visit  in  November  Plymouth  had  suffered  the  fortune  of 
war.  Then  it  was  a  pleasant,  peaceful  town,  upon  which  the 
shadow  of  strife  had  not  fallen.  A  month  later  it  had  been 
raided  and  partially  burned  by  the  Rebel  cavalry,  and  now  the 
scars  were  deep  and  black  upon  it. 

But  why  were  we  here?  Rumor  told  of  Rebel  forces  who  were 
building  earthworks,  and  possibly  gunboats,  at  Rainbow  Bluff 
(the  Rebels  called  it  Rainbow  Bend),  some  miles  farther  up  the 
river,1  and  that  we  were  to  move  upon  them  in  the  morning. 

But  we  lay  at  the  wharf  that  night.  The  evening  was  brilliant 
with  the  light  of  a  full  moon,  the  atmosphere  soft  and  pleasant. 
The  band  on  deck  played,  the  darkies  on  shore  danced  around 

1  That  this  rumor  was  not  unfounded,  witness  a  letter  from  Colonel  J.  F.  Gilmer, 
of  the  Confederate  Engineer  Bureau,  to  Colonel  Walter  Ovvynn,  commanding  de 
fences  in  eastern  North  Carolina,  which  says  (under  date  of  Nov.  3,  1862 — three 
months  before  our  trip  to  Plymouth)  :  "  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  so  satisfactory  a  posi 
tion  for  the  defence  of  the  Roanoke  River  has  been  found  at  Rainbow  Bend.  The 
line  of  infantry  to  cover  one  and  one-half  miles  to  the  pond,  causing  the  enemy  to 
make  a  detour  of  fifteen  miles,  seems  a  good  suggestion.  It  is  not  possible  at  present 
to  furnish  all  the  armament  required  ;  still,  platforms  and  positions  should  be  pre 
pared  for  formidable  river  batteries  (a  part  of  these  platforms  should  be  prepared  for 
siege  carriages)." 


THE   PLYMOUTH   EXPEDITION.  149 

blazing  fires,  the  "  boys  "  sang,  smoked,  and  discussed  the  cam 
paign.  The  climate  seemed  that  of  New  England  under  the 
harvest  moon ;  and  so  the  evening  closed. 

Next  morning  (this  too  might  have  been  New  England)  six 
inches  of  snow  lay  upon  the  ground.  Light,  fluffy  stuff  to  be 
sure,  but  snow  all  the  same,  —  snow  that  makes  water;  snow  that 
makes  mud ;  snow  that  makes  the  intended  movement,  the  sur 
prise  of  the  garrison  at  Rainbow  Bluff,  impossible ;  snow  that 
was  not  to  be  stained  with  the  blood  of  Rebel  or  of  Patriot,  else 
some  would  have  died  that  day.  Who?  Whose  life  hung  with 
the  snowflake  in  the  air  that  winter  night?  Did  yours,  comrade, 
or  yours?  Did  mine?  Who  knows? 

WTe  only  know  that  the  snow  came,  the  course  of  the  expedi 
tion  was  changed,  and  from  that  hour  it  became  impossible  to 
regard  it  seriously  from  a  military  point  of  view. 

It  became  simply  a  picturesque  incident  of  our  service  in  North 
Carolina. 

For  six  cold,  raw,  disagreeable  days  we  remained  in  Plymouth. 
The  "  Northerner "  was  crowded.  To  give  more  room  to  all, 
Companies  A,  C,  D,  E,  G,  and  K  were  removed  to  a  large  un 
occupied  warehouse  upon  the  wharf.  It  was  like  an  ice-house. 
We  tried  to  read,  to  write,  to  whittle.  We  smoked,  some  of  us 
danced  —  anything  to  keep  alive,  pass  the  time,  and  hold  our 
selves  together.  There  was  dress  parade,  of  course,  even  if  there 
was  no  blacking;  and  the  gloves  !  Well,  they  were  at  New  Berne, 
in  the  barracks,  which  some  "sanitary  engineer"  was  white 
washing  against  our  return. 

But  dress  parade  seemed  to  amuse  the  darkies  and  encourage 
the  "  Union  men,"  of  whom  there  were  several  living  though 
pallid  examples  in  the  town ;  but  chiefly  it  served  to  get  at  the 
effective  force  of  the  regiment  at  the  moment.  "  All  present  or 
accounted  for,"  said  a  second  sergeant,  on  one  of  these  occasions. 
"  Except  thirty  privates,  six  '  non-coms,'  one  orderly,  and 

two  commissioned  officers,"  added  the  captain  of  Company , 

between  his  teeth.  For  were  there  not  warm  houses,  and  chairs, 
and  tables ;  hot  sausages,  hoe-cake,  and  apple-jack,  all  danger 
ously  near?  Were  there  no  attractions  just  outside  the  lines, 
and  no  enemy  nearer  than  Rainbow  Bluff?  All  were  not  present, 


150 


FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 


but  most  could  be  accounted  for;  and  if  they  did  not  turn  in  at 
taps,  they  generally  turned  up  at  reveille. 

But,  if  we  had  failed  of  the  "  object  'of  the  expedition,"  and 
missed  a  possible  tragedy,  something  was  yet  in  store  for  us,  and 
rumor  said  there  were  several  tons  of  it ;  to  wit,  of  savory  hams, 
sides  and  shoulders  of  bacon,  killed  "  in  the  full  of  the  moon,"  no 
doubt,  "  for  luck,"  some  moons  before,  and  now  hidden  in  the 


mysterious  recesses  of  certain  smoke-houses  a  night's  march  out 
side  the  lines,  and  only  awaiting  favorable  opportunity  for  trans 
port  to  some  hungry  quartermaster  of  the  forces  of  the  Southern 
Confederacy.  This  would  never  do.  From  Rainbow  Bluff  we 
had  been  turned  back  by  the  driven  snow;  should  soot  and 
smoke-houses  baffle  us  too?  We  had  been  dissuaded  by  the 
elements  of  light;  should  the  powers  of  darkness  also  prevail 
against  us?  Should  the  succulent  ham  be  lost  to  the  cause  of 
the  Union?  Forbid  it,  commissaries  and  commissioned  officers  ! 

So  an  expedition  was  organized  for  the  rescue  of  the  hams,  and 
Companies  A,  B,  C,  D,  E,  and  G  were  selected  for  the  hazardous 
duty.  The  line  was  formed  at  1.30  (Saturday,  February  7),  and 
at  2  P.  M.,  under  the  immediate  command  of  the  colonel,  moved 
out  upon  the  Washington  road,  making  a  detour  to  pass  obstruc 
tions, —  trees  which  had  been  felled  across  the  road  to  check  any 


THE   PLYMOUTH    EXPEDITION.  151 

attempt  that  might  be  made  to  surprise  the  town.  We  were 
soon  in  the  wild  country  lying  between  Plymouth  upon  the  north 
and  "  Little"  Washington  upon  the  south,  these  towns  being  con 
nected  by  a  main  road  from  which,  a  few  miles  out  from  Plym 
outh,  a  less  frequented  thoroughfare  branches  at  a  right  angle 
toward  the  east.  This  is  known  as  the  Long  Acre  road.  On  pass 
ing  our  picket  line,  orders  had  been  given  to  take  possession  of 
all  carts,  wagons,  horses,  mules,  or  other  means  of  transport, 
together  with  the  owners  thereof,  —  the  latter  being  temporarily 
held  in  custody  to  prevent  information  of  our  movements  being 
conveyed  to  the  enemy.  These  men  were  mostly  left  at  the 
junction  of  the  Washington  and  Long  Acre  roads,  in  charge  of  a 
guard  consisting  of  Company  B  and  a  part  of  Company  C,  under 
command  of  Captain  Griswold,  which  force  picketed  the  roads 
and  kept  open  a  line  of  retreat  for  the  main  force.  Here  was  a 
blacksmith's  shop,  in  which  the  prisoners  were  allowed  to  huddle 
for  shelter  from  the  (to  them)  severe  and  inclement  weather, 
while  the  forms  of  their  more  hardy  guard  of  Northern  men, 
grouped  about  the  fires  by  the  roadside,  under  the  keen  winter 
sky,  filled  in  the  ever-present  element  of  the  picturesque. 
An  officer  of  Company  B  describes  the  scene  thus :  — 

"  Early  in  the  evening  the  scene  was  somewhat  striking.  The  rude 
blacksmith's  hut,  near  which  was  our  picket  reserve,  was  glowing  with 
light  from  fires  which  the  prisoners  had  been  permitted  to  make  inside. 
Two  sentries  stood  at  the  door,  half  in  light,  half  in  shade.  Outside, 
groups  of  our  men  were  huddled  about  three  or  four  charcoal  fires,  which 
gleamed  redly  from  the  roadside.  Captured  carts  and  horses  were  tied  to 
the  fence.  Stacks  of  arms  stood  in  the  road.  Occasional  laughs  from  the 
prisoners  inside,  the  subdued  conversation  of  our  men,  the  clank  of  offi 
cers'  swords,  the  distant  barking  of  dogs,  the  tinkling  of  a  cow-bell,  the 
grunting  and  squealing  of  rooting  hogs,  the  clattering  of  geese,  the  doleful 
cry  of  the  coon,  mingled  to  render  the  sounds  of  the  night  more  apparent, 
and  to  puzzle  our  pickets,  placed  as  they  were  in  lonely  and  secluded 
spots.  During  the  night  -  — 's  platoon,  picketing  the  Washington  road, 
was  alarmed  and  drawn  up  in  line  to  repel  what  turned  out  to  be  a  row 
of  stumps." 

A  cypress-swamp  has  peculiarities  of  its  own.  Insidiously  they 
creep  upon  you.  You  are  marching  along  the  dry,  dead  level  of 
the  open  country.  Soon  trees  appear  skirting  the  road  on  either 


152  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

hand,  growing  closer  and  closing  in  as  you  advance,  until  pres 
ently  you  find  that  you  have  passed  completely  within  their 
shade,  and  the  road  sinks  as  you  proceed  within  the  gloom  of  the 
thick  masses  of  rank  green  foliage,  with  gnarled  roots,  half  out 
of  ground,  the  trees  on  tiptoe,  as  it  were,  struggling  to  overtop 
each  other  and  free  themselves  from  the  muddy  ooze  from  which 
they  spring. 

Midway  of  the  breadth  of  this  belt  of  darkness  runs  a  deep 
and  narrow  stream,  at  right  angles  to  the  road,  —  which  has  now 
sloped  down  until  it  is  at  the  summer  level  of  the  stream,— 
which  it  crosses  at  a  single  bound  by  means  of  a  bridge,  always 
of  wood,  springing  high  above  the  current  in  order  not  to  be 
swept  away  in  the  wet  season,  when  the  waters  are  abroad  and 
fill  the  swamp  from  side  to  side  and  cover  the  road  to  unknown 
depths;  stealing  out  from  the  darkness  upon  the  one  hand,  to 
gleam  above  the  sunken  track  for  an  instant,  and  then  to  dis 
appear  in  silence  and  gloom  upon  the  other. 

In  the  days  before  the  war  there  had  been  maintained  along 
side  each  road  through  the  swamp  a  walk,  consisting  of  a  line  of 
single  planks,  or  of  logs  with  the  upper  surface  hewn  flat,  these 
being  supported  upon  posts  set  somewhat  away  from  the  wagon- 
track,  and  just  at  the  edge  of  the  woods.  Upon  these  the  skilful 
native  passed,  dry-shod,  over  the  raging  waters.  On  the  night  of 
Feb.  7,  1863,  a  swamp  of  this  character  one-half  mile  (some  said 
one  and  one-half  miles)  in  width,  lay  between  us  and  our  booty. 
'Twas  ever  thus  in  North  Carolina.  Were  we  to  halt  for  dinner, 
were  we  to  bivouac  for  the  night,  were  we  to  do  anything  in  par 
ticular,  the  happy  spot,  the  shining  shore,  was  always  the  farther 
shore  of  a  swamp, — and  the  waters  were  abroad. 

But  who  that  passed  through  this  swamp  this  night  will  ever 
forget  it?  The  path  through  the  black  woods;  splash  —  a  little 
water;  splash  again  —  more  water;  over  the  shoes —  cold;  over 
the  ankles  —  ice-cold,  with  the  blood  of  the  snow  melted  into  it. 
But  we  are  in  and  must  go  through.  No  use  dodging;  though 
some  get  upon  the  remains  of  the  foot-walk,  they  slip  and  plunge 
into  deeper  water  beyond  ;  or,  saving  this,  are  induced  by  the 
mildly  persuasive  voice  of  the  colonel  to  forego  their  advantage 
and  share  the  lot  of  their  fellows  in  the  road,  whose  legs  —  by 


THE    PLYMOUTH    EXPEDITION. 


153 


this  time  knee-deep  in  the  water  —  are  fast  losing  all  feeling,  and 
are  but  little  better  than  legs  of  wood  as  we  mount  the  bridge 
and  enter  the  flood  upon  the  farther  side. 

In  due  time  we  reached  dry  ground  and,  passing  over  a  few 
miles  of  high,  rolling  land  covered  with  plantations,  finally 
reached  our  destination  (namely,  the  smoke-houses,  which  were 
situated  about  fourteen  miles  from  Plymouth)  at  9  P.  M. 

Here  some  time  was  spent  in  collecting  such  of  the  fatness 
of  the  land  as  it  was  thought  best  to  transfer  to  loyal  posses 
sion.  This  work  —  the  regular  part  of  it  — was  done  by  detach 


ments  to  whom  the  duty  was  assigned  ;  while  considerable  vol 
unteer  foraging  was  accomplished  by  numbers  of  enterprising 
privates  and  non-commissioned  officers,  resulting  in  the  capture 
of  the  usual  fowls,  pigs,  and  apple-jack,  tin  cans,  coffee-pots,  odds 
and  ends,  —  and  one  man  reported  a  lot  of  hymn-books.  The 
official  result,  as  stated  by  the  colonel  in  his  report,  consisted  of 
twenty-two  horses  and  mules,  sixteen  carts,  and  3,385  pounds 
of  bacon,  which  latter  circumstance  gave  to  this  night's  work 
the  name  of  the  "  Ham  Fat  March."  Of  this,  little  more  remains 
to  be  said.  Our  guards  were  called  in,  and  the  return  march 
commenced  at  midnight. 

It  was  the  fortune  of  the  writer  to  be  with  the  rear  company 
upon  the  return  trip.  Since  we  had  passed  the  swamp  upon  our 
outward  way,  and  while  our  foraging  was  going  on,  the  moon 
had  come  up  high  over  the  woods,  and  the  spectacle  of  that 
home  tramp  through  the  water  was  one  long  to  be  remembered. 


154  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

Straight  out  before  us,  in  the  brilliant  moonlight,  went  five  hun 
dred  men,  laughing,  shouting,  splashing  and  tossing  the  water,  — 
still  as  cold,  and  now,  in  the  clear  moonlight,  as  brilliant  as  jewels 
of  ice.  In  the  midst  of  all  this  were  mounted  the  field  officers, 
and,  hurried  along  by  their  escort,  came  the  teams  which  had 
been  impressed  into  the  service  for  the  night,  and  for  any  duty 
that  might  be  put  upon  them. 

If  comrades and thought  to  save  a  second  wetting, 

and  took  possession  of  a  disengaged  mule-cart  for  the  return  trip, 
and  if  in  the  midst  of  the  deepest  water  the  pin  came  out  and 
they  went  under,  to  the  great  delight  of  their  fellows,  the  Muse 
of  History  shall  record  the  fact,  but  will  hide  their  names  (which 
she  knows)  in  her  heart,  lest  future  descendants  of  these  heroes 
fall  out  among  themselves  and  call  her  a  beldame  and  an  igno 
ramus  for  not  recording  (what  she  does  not  know)  who  got  the 
first  wetting. 

At  5.30  the  next  morning,  Sunday,  February  8,  we  reached 
Plymouth,  wet,  tired,  and  hungry,  and  at  once  sought  such  food 
and  shelter  as  were  to  be  had.  This  was  our  last  day  in  Plym 
outh,  the  lack  of  fuel  obliging  the  "  Northerner "  to  leave  the 
river  earlier  than  might  otherwise  have  been  the  case.  We  went 
on  board  that  afternoon,  passed  down  the  river,  and,  after  anchor 
ing  at  Roanoke  Island  and  securing  a  supply  of  coal,  arrived  at 
New  Berne  on  the  evening  of  Tuesday,  February  10. 

Landing  upon  the  south  side  of  the  Trent  River,  we  crossed  the 
bridge,  whence  a  march  through  the  city  soon  brought  us  to  our 
barracks,  which  opened  their  gleaming  and  freshly  whitewashed 
arms  to  receive  us. 

Thus  ended  the  Plymouth  expedition  of  February,  1863.  To 
give  historical  finish  to  the  narrative,  Colonel  Lee's  official 
report  is  given  in  full  below. 

REPORT  OF  COLONEL  FRANCIS  L.  LEE. 

HEADQUARTERS  FORTY-FOURTH  REGIMENT  MASS.  VOL.  MILITIA, 
CAMP  STEVENSON,  NEW  BERNE,  Feb.  14,  1863. 

CAPTAIN,  —  I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  in  obedience  to  order  of 
Jan.  31,  1863,  I  embarked  my  command  on  steamer  "Northerner"  and 
arrived  at  Plymouth,  N.  C.,  at  4  p.  M.  on  February  2. 


THE   PLYMOUTH   EXPEDITION.  155 

Upon  landing  I  consulted  with  Major  Bartholomew,  Twenty-seventh 
Massachusetts  Regiment,  commander  of  the  post,  in  regard  to  closing  the 
lines  ;  but  learning  from  him  that  information  of  our  arrival  and  probable 
force  had  undoubtedly  been  sent  forward  to  the  enemy  even  before  our 
arrival,  I  deemed  it  unwise  to  interfere  with  existing  arrangements  in 
regard  to  passing  the  lines. 

Learning  that  Commodore  Flusser  was  absent,  I  proceeded  in  company 
with  Major  Bartholomew  to  inspect  the  location  of  his  pickets  and  his 
preparations  for  defence,  and  found  the  pickets  well  placed,  his  precau 
tions  against  surprise  sufficient,  and  every  advantage  taken  of  the  nat 
ural  defences  of  the  town,  the  major  having  almost  completed  a  ditch 
connecting  the  two  swamps  lying  south  of  the  town.  Inside  of  this 
ditch,  which  is  about  six  feet  in  depth  and  about  fifteen  feet  wide,  the 
earth  is  thrown  up  sufficiently  high  to  afford  shelter  for  sharpshooters. 
Major  Bartholomew  proposes  to  erect  a  small  block-house  where  the 
Long  Acre  road  crosses  this  ditch,  and  also  one  upon  the  Jamesville 
road  at  the  crossing  of  the  ditch.  My  carpenters  built  drawbridges  for 
each  of  these  roads,  and  I  would  respectfully  suggest  that  two  field  how 
itzers  would  render  the  defence  of  these  roads  easy  against  any  force 
likely  to  be  brought  against  them,  and  that  they  are  most  earnestly  de 
sired  by  Major  Bartholomew.  I  would  also  recommend  a  further  supply 
of  axes  and  shovels,  as  the  want  of  these  tools  prevents  Major  Bartholo 
mew  from  availing  himself  fully  of  the  services  of  the  contrabands  in 
his  command. 

Upon  the  Long  Acre  road  the  picket  is  stationed  at  the  ditch,  about 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  custom-house,  with  an  outer  picket  of 
five  men  half  a  mile  in  advance  at  the  junction  of  the  road  with  the  Lee's 
Mill  road.  At  this  point  there  is  a  blockade  of  trees  fallen  across  the 
road. 

Upon  the  Columbia  road  the  picket  is  established  just  west  of  the 
bridge,  crossing  Coneby  Creek,  about  two  miles  from  the  custom-house. 
This  bridge  is  taken  up  each  night  and  affords  an  easy  and  sure  defence, 
as  the  creek  is  very  deep. 

Upon  the  Jamesville  road  the  picket  is  at  the  ditch,  about  one  mile 
from  the  custom-house,  and  a  cavalry  vedette  is  stationed  about  half  a 
mile  in  advance. 

Upon  inquiring  as  to  the  probable  force  and  location  of  the  enemy,  I 
learned  from  Major  Bartholomew  that  he,  in  company  with  Commodore 
Flusser,  had,  on  January  30,  made  a  reconnoissance  as  far  as  Jamesville 
on  the  gunboat  "  Commodore  Perry,"  shelling  the  woods  at  various  points 
but  finding  no  signs  of  the  presence  of  the  enemy.  It  was  the  opinion  of 
Major  Bartholomew  that  the  position  and  strength  of  the  enemy  was  as 
follows  :  Two  companies  of  the  Seventeenth  North  Carolina  Regiment  at 
Rainbow  Bluff,  with  two  field  pieces  ;  the  remainder  of  that  regiment,  with 


156  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

four  field  pieces,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  bluff,  anywhere  between  Hamilton 
and  Williamston ;  four  companies  of  infantry  some  seven  miles  northwest 
of  Washington,  and  the  remainder  of  their  regiment  at  or  near  Greenville  ; 
three  companies  of  cavalry  scouting  anywhere  between  the  Tar  and 
Roanoke  Rivers. 

A  cavalry  scout  to  Ward's  Bridge,  some  four  miles  from  town,  failed  to 
discover  any  signs  of  Rebel  scouts,  though  they  learned  that  parties  of  two 
or  three  cavalrymen  had  been  seen  in  that  vicinity  within  a  week. 

Commodore  Flusser  arrived  on  the  evening  of  the  2d  of  February,  and 
after  consultation  I  arranged  to  go  with  my  regiment  on  his  three  gunboats 
to  Williamston,  starting  the  next  morning  at  seven  o'clock  and  landing  at 
Williamston  or  Jamesville  as  might  be  thought  best,  —  the  landing  party  to 
be  supported  by  three  boat  howitzers  and  their  crews,  under  command  of 
'Lieutenant  Furness,  of  the  "  Valley  City."  On  the  following  morning  a 
drifting  snow-storm  rendered  any  advance  by  land  or  water  impossible  ; 
the  impassable  state  of  the  roads  also  prevented  an  expedition  to  Windsor 
to  confiscate  bacon  packed  for  Rebel  use. 

On  Friday,  February  6,  finding  that  no  coal  could  be  furnished  to  our 
transport  by  the  Navy,  and  that  my  pioneers  were  unable  to  supply  the 
requisite  quantity  of  wood,  I  was  obliged  to  send  out  some  three  miles  to 
buy  and  draw  some  dry  wood  belonging  to  Mr.  Harrison,  a  loyal  man 
living  on  the  Long  Acre  road.  Before  starting  the  wagons  Major  Bar 
tholomew  told  me  that  he  had  good  reason  to  believe  that  many  of  the 
inhabitants  upon  that  road  had  abused  their  protection  papers  by  smug 
gling  out  salt  in  larger  quantities  than  they  needed  for  home  consump 
tion  ;  that  they  had  packed  large  stores  of  bacon  intended  for  the  use 
of  the  Rebel  troops;  that  he  thought  an  examination  and  confiscation  of 
a  portion  of  their  bacon,  if  found  in  such  large  quantities,  would  be  de 
sirable.  I  therefore  took  four  of  my  companies  and  went  some  thirteen 
miles  out,  taking  on  the  way  the  horses,  mules,  and  carts  to  transport 
the  pork  if  found.  I  examined  the  farms  of  the  persons  suspected,  and 
finding  from  two  to  three  tons  of  bacon,  took  from  four  of  them  3.385 
pounds,  leaving  much,  for  want  of  transportation,  which  I  think  would 
properly  have  been  brought  away.  This  bacon,  with  twenty-two  horses 
and  mules  and  sixteen  carts,  I  handed  over  to  Major  Bartholomew,  leav 
ing  it  to  his  judgment  to  return  any  of  the  horses  and  carts  to  persons 
in  whose  loyalty  he  had  confidence,  and  directing  him  to  see  that  quar 
termaster's  receipts  for  the  property  taken  should  be  given  to  the  parties, 
in  order  that  if  they  could  rebut  the  testimony  with  regard  to  their  sym 
pathy  and  aid  for  the  Rebel  cause  they  might  receive  payment  from  the 
Government. 

On  Sunday  morning,  being  informed  by  the  captain  of  our  transport 
that  unless  we  started  then  he  would  be  obliged  to  lay  at  Plymouth  until 
coal  was  found  him,  and  my  rations  not  being  sufficient  for  over  two  days 


THE    PLYMOUTH    EXPEDITION.  157 

longer,  I  left  Plymouth  that  afternoon,  and  after  anchoring  at  Roanoke  for 
coal,  arrived  here  on  the  evening  of  Tuesday,  February  10. 
Yours,  with  respect, 

FRANCIS  L.  LEE, 
Colonel  Commanding  Forty-fourth  Regiment  M,  V.  M. 

Captain  ANDREW  STEWART, 

Assistant  Adjutant-  General. 

P.  S.  —  Enclosed  please  find  instructions  received  from  headquarters 
relative  to  the  movement  above  stated. 

[Indorsement.] 

HEADQUARTERS  EIGHTEENTH  ARMY  CORPS, 

NEW  BERNE,  N.  C.,  February  15,  1863. 

Approved  and  respectfully  forwarded. 

H.  W.  WESSELLS, 
Brigadier-  General  Volunteers.  Commanding. 


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CHAPTER    IX. 

WASHINGTON.1 


'^'    "^  N    Sunday,  March  15, 
"**&  (,    the  day  following  the 
,  Y    ;    attack    on    Fort   An- 

/      /^^*r 

:J  derson,  things  had 
seemingly  returned  to 
their  usual  state  ;  the 
ordinary  routine  of  inspec 
tion,  etc.,  was  followed,  and 
nothing  uncommon  happened 
until  late  in  the  afternoon. 
At  half-past  five  o'clock, 
while  Company  G  were  draw 
ing  their  supper  at  the  cook-house 
window,  Lieutenant  Odiorne  came 
in,  saying,  "  Boys,  we  Ve  got  march 
ing  orders,"  adding  that  we  were  to 
carry  shelter-tents,  and  in  fact  could 
"  go  heavy,"  as  we  should  probably  have  no  marching  to  do,  — 
"  and  be  ready  to  move  in  half  an  hour." 

The  manner  in  which  the  news  was  received  was  in  marked 
contrast  with  the  wild  excitement  caused  by  the  orders  for  the 
Tarboro'  and  Goldsboro'  expeditions ;  few  remarks  were  made ; 
the  knapsacks  had  been  packed  since  the  day  before ;  the  men 
went  on  getting  their  supper,  and  ate  it  quietly,  without  any 
hurry;  and  in  half  an  hour  the  company  was  ready  to  fall  in, 

1  The  author  of  this  chapter  wishes  to  state  that  it  was  put  into  his  hands  by  the 
Historical  Committee  at  the  last  moment,  —  having  been  then  given  up  by  the  one 
first  selected  to  write  it;  and  that  it  has  been  impossible,  in  the  short  time  allotted 
to  him,  to  look  up  any  material  except  what  was  placed  in  his  hands  by  the  Com 
mittee,  and  what  he  could  draw  from  his  own  recollection  and  memoranda. 


160  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

haversacks  and  canteens  full,  blankets  rolled,  and  knapsacks  ready 
to  sling.  Our  winter's  experience  had  given  us  that  quality  of 
the  veteran  by  virtue  of  which,  realizing  the  uncertainty  of  any 
present  condition,  he  troubles  himself  about  no  future,  but  ac 
cepts  in  a  philosophic  spirit  what  the  day  may  bring  forth. 

Our  destination  was  understood  to  be  "  Little  "  Washington. 
At  seven  o'clock  the  whole  regiment,  with  the  exception  of  Com 
panies  F  and  B,  which  were  on  picket,  was  on  board  the  "  Escort." 
It  was  pretty  close  packing ;  the  men  slept  on  the  decks  every 
where  ;  the  writer  found  his  place  in  the  starboard  gangway  on 
the  freight  deck,  and  woke  in  the  morning  in  about  three  inches 
of  water,  which  was  brought  in  by  the  paddle-wheels,  the  boat 
being  very  low  in  the  water.  I  remember  one  squad  of  men 
pitched  a  shelter-tent  on  the  upper  deck  near  the  pilot-house ; 
however,  as  we  knew  the  trip  was  to  be  a  short  one,  this  crowding 
was  regarded  with  great  unconcern.  A  mail  of  newspapers  was 
distributed  while  we  were  on  board,  which  were  very  welcome, 
and  served  to  pass  the  time,  always  tedious  enough  on  these 
passages. 

At  about  three  o'clock  of  Monday,  the  i6th,  the  boat  drew  up  to 
the  wharf  in  Washington ;  the  houses  in  the  town  still  bore  the 
marks  of  the  raid  made  upon  it  the  autumn  before  by  the  enemy; 
one  house  was  pitted  all  over  with  a  stand  of  heavy  canister-shot ; 
another  had  two  eight-inch  shot-holes  through  it.  In  the  river  just 
below  the  bridge  lay  the  gunboat  "  Louisiana,"  thereafter  looked 
upon  by  us  as  a  tower  of  strength  ;  and  many  a  time  within  the 
next  four  weeks  did  we  welcome  the  roar  of  her  eight-inch  pivot- 
gun  as  an  assurance  of  safety. 

The  whole  town  turned  out  to  see  us  land ;  the  street  swarmed 
with  darkeys,  "  without  regard  to  age,  sex,  color,  condition,  or 
previous  condition  of  servitude  ;  "  many  of  the  women  with  ginger 
bread  and  fruit  for  sale  drove  a  roaring  trade.  Among  the  crowd 
were  many  of  the  Twenty-seventh  Massachusetts,  and  some  North 
Carolina  volunteers,  but  the  native  white  civilian  was  scarce. 

After  waiting  awhile  here  in  the  street  we  were  marched  to  the 
westerly  end  of  the  town,  to  a  large  cornfield  in  the  rear  of  the 
house  of  J.  Grist,  Esq.,  afterwards  better  known  to  us  as  a  (sup 
posed)  bitter  Rebel;  but  who,  I  have  since  been  assured,  was  our 


WASHINGTON. 


161 


stanch  friend,  having  done  us  substantial  services  during  our  stay. 
Ranks  were  broken,  with  orders  to  pitch  our  shelter-tents  and 
camp  for  the  night.  The  tents  were  pitched  that  night  with 
muskets  for  tent-poles ;  and  no  regular  order  of  lay-out  having 
been  given,  the  result  was  most  picturesque,  particularly  after 
dark,  when  the  tents  were  lighted  up.  In  some  cases  as  many  as 
ten  or  twelve  sections  of  shelter  would  be  used  to  form  a  tent  to 
cover  as  many  men.  Myself  and  mates  smoothed  down  the  corn- 
hills  of  our  floor,  in  so  doing  scraping  the  dry  sand  from  the 
surface,  —  a  piece  of  work  which  we  bitterly  rued  before  morning. 
After  pitching  the  tents  we  walked  out  to  investigate  our  situation. 
It  was  near  where  Fort  Gouraud  afterwards  stood ;  south  of  us 
was  the  river,  east  of  us  the  town,  north  and  northwest  the  line 
of  earthworks,  and  west,  at  the  point  where  the  line  touched  the 
river,  Blockhouse  No.  I,  afterwards  familiar  to  Company  D. 

It  was  a  clear,  cold  night,  and  with  only  a  rubber  blanket  be 
tween  us  and  the  raw  surface  of  sand  we  had  more  rawly  exposed, 
myself  and  mates 
shivered  through 
it;  the  writer 
hopes  never  to 
sleep  so  cold 
again  —  he  never 
has,  so  far.  Upon 
rising  in  the 
morning  we 
found  a  thick 
feathery  coating 
of  hoar-frost  on 
the  outside  of  our 
tent  and  over 

everything;  as  soon  as  the  sun  had  removed  this,  orders  were 
given  to  strike  the  tents  and  pitch  them  with  proper  tent- 
poles,  in  regular  streets,  two  streets  to  a  company,  three  men 
to  a  tent.  Most  of  them  were  properly  pitched  and  ditched 
about;  but  some,  ambitious  of  more  headroom,  dug  six  or 
eight  inches  below  the  surface  to  lay  their  floors,  with  disas 
trous  results  in  the  rains  which  occurred  later.  This  work  was 


1 62  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

finished  by  noon,  and  cooking-shanties  of  quite  picturesque 
appearance  were  also  built  at  the  upper  end  of  each  company's 
camp. 

This  was  Tuesday,  the  i/th;  during  the  day  the  enemy's  ad 
vance  made  its  appearance  south  of  the  river,  though  we  at  the 
time  did  not  know  it.  The  "Louisiana"  pitched  a  few  shells  into 
the  woods  in  the  afternoon,  but  it  caused  little  excitement  in  the 
camp,  as  we  did  not  then  know  that  it  was  the  enemy's  advance 
that  was  being  shelled.  In  the  afternoon  details  were  made  to 
work  on  the  intrenchments,  principally  in  lengthening  and  height 
ening  traverses,  besides  laying  out  a  few  new  ones. 

Washington  lies  on  the  north  side  of  the  Tar  River,  at  its  junc 
tion  with  the  Pamlico  (or  Pamplico,  as  some  maps  give  it)  ;  before 
the  war  it  was  actively  engaged  in  the  lumber  trade,  and  its  river 
front  is  lined  with  wharves  and  warehouses,  one  of  which  latter, 
of  brick,  had  been  loopholed  to  be  used  as  a  place  of  refuge  and 
defence  for  the  garrison  in  case  of  need. 

The  town  extends  for  about  a  mile  along  the  river-bank,  and 
back  into  the  country  for  perhaps  half  that  distance ;  it  is  almost 
surrounded  in  the  rear  by  low  swampy  ground,  from  which  rises 
a  row  of  hills  encircling  it  from  the  river  above  to  the  river  below ; 
on  the  south  side  the  river-bank  is  wooded,  and  the  swamp 
extends  inland  some  distance ;  the  banks  of  the  river  below  the 
town  are  comparatively  high,  and  clayey,  and  afforded  excel 
lent  positions  for  the  blockading  batteries  afterwards  placed 
there. 

On  the  north  side  three  roads  run  out  from  the  town  :  beginning 
on  the  left,  the  Greenville  road  running  nearly  northwest,  the 
Jamesville  road  running  northeast,  and  the  Plymouth  road  nearly 
eastward ;  on  the  south  side,  only  the  New  Berne  road,  which 
crosses  the  bridge. 

The  defences  of  the  town  consisted,  at  the  time  of  our  occupa 
tion,  of  a  line  of  earthworks,  of  good  profile  but  \veak  trace,  ex 
tending  from  the  river-bank  about  a  mile  above  the  bridge  to  the 
creek  about  as  far  below,  following  the  line  of  low  hills  next  the 
town;  in  the  centre  was  Fort  Washington,  on  a  slight  rising 
ground,  commanded  however  by  the  main  line  of  hills  before 
referred  kto,  about  half  a  mile  away.  It  was  a  small,  square, 


WASHINGTON. 


163 


bastioned  work,  mounting  four  thirty-two-pounders,  one  of  them 
rifled,  two  six-pound  steel  Wiard  rifles,  and  two  twelve-pound 
Napoleon  guns.  Fort  Hamilton,  on  the  extreme  right,  was  of 
irregular  trace,  and  mounted  two  twelve-pound  Napoleons,  one 
thirty-pounder  Parrott,  and  one  thirty-two-pounder  Rodman  gun. 
Blockhouses  numbered  from  one  to  four  in  the  order  in  which 
they  are  here  mentioned  were  placed  —  at  the  extreme  left  on 
the  river,  at  the  Greenville  road,  between  the  Jamesville  and 
Plymouth  roads,  and  on  the  extreme  right  at  Fort  Hamilton. 
They  were  strong  log  buildings,  loopholed  for  musketry,  banked 


.  ; 


and  ditched,  and  armed  as  follows:  Nos.  i,  2,  and  3,  each  one  six- 
pounder;  No.  4,  one  twelve-pounder.  In  an  epaulement  command 
ing  the  Jamesville  road  was  mounted  a  thirty-two-pounder. 

Around  Fort  Washington  was  a  line  of  rifle-pits  and  a  good 
abatis,  and  the  intervals  between  the  blockhouses  Nos.  I  and  2 
and  the  lines  were  also  filled  with  abatis.  Traverses  had  been 
thrown  up  at  various  points  along  the  main  line,  and  were  after 
wards  extended  and  added  to  as  occasion  demanded. 

During  the  investment  a  small  work  was  thrown  up  on  the 
Grist  place  near  our  first  camp,  named,  as  I  have  always  under 
stood,  from  Major  Gouraud  of  the  Third  New  York  Cavalry, 


1 64  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

though  on  the  map  it  is  called  Fort  Ceres  ;  it  mounted  one  thirty- 
pound  Parrott  and  one  twelve-pound  rifled  howitzer. 

In  the  river  lay  the  gunboats  "  Louisiana,"  "  Eagle,"  and  "  Com 
modore  Hull,"  which  contributed  materially  to  the  defence  of  the 
place.  Just  above  the  bridge  and  near  our  camp  lay  the  wreck 
of  the  gunboat  "  Picket." 

The  garrison  before  our  arrival  consisted  of  eight  companies  of 
the  Twenty-seventh  Massachusetts,  one  company  First  North  Car 
olina  Volunteer  Infantry,  Captain  Lyon,  one  company  Third  New 
York  Cavalry,  and  Battery  G,  Third  New  York  Artillery,  —  about 
600  men  in  all.  Our  arrival  and  the  arming  of  a  force  of  negroes, 
which  was  done  by  Colonel  Lee,  raised  our  numbers  to  1160. 

By  Wednesday,  the  i8th,  we  had  settled  down  to  routine  work, 
guard-mounting,  company  and  battalion  drills,  as  usual.  This 
day  there  was  a  brigade  dress-parade  ;  but  the  writer,  being  on 
guard,  was  not  present.  The  guard  was  quartered  in  a  corn-barn 
belonging  to  Mr.  Grist. 

In  the  evening  a  violent  shower  and  gale  demoralized  many  of 
the  tents ;  but,  thanks  to  the  Tapleyish  spirit  of  the  boys,  the 
demoralization  spread  no  farther.  This  night  the  roads  were 
picketed  by  Company  I. 

Thursday,  the  iQth,  it  began  to  rain.  At  night  Company  D 
was  sent  out  on  picket,  and  an  attack  was  evidently  expected. 
At  about  half-past  four  the  next  morning,  Friday  the  2Oth,  Com 
pany  E  was  ordered  out  and  marched  to  the  edge  of  the  swamp 
beyond  Blockhouse  No.  I.  The  rest  of  the  regiment  were  also 
turned  out  and  stationed  on  the  lines,  where  we  remained  until 
daylight.  The  tents  having  become  very  damp,  the  regiment 
was  now  sent  into  the  town  and  quartered  in  various  deserted 
buildings,  Company  G  being  in  the  Farmers'  Hotel. 

Saturday,  the  2ist,  the  rain  still  continuing,  we  were  routed  out, 
for  a  change,  at  3.30  A.  M.,  and  remained  under  arms,  as  before, 
until  roll-call.  While  we  lay  behind  the  lines  we  saw  the  light  of 
a  considerable  fire  on  the  farther  side  of  the  river.  This  day 
came  in  two  deserters  from  Roger  A.  Pryor's  brigade,  who  stated 
that  the  enemy  had  been  in  heavy  force  within  twenty  miles  of 
us,  but  that  the  rain  had  so  cut  up  the  roads  that  they  were 
impassable  to  their  artillery ;  which  was  not  improbable,  as  they 


WASHINGTON.  165 

were  difficult  for  our  cavalry.  They  said  also  that  the  officer  in 
command  at  Charleston  had  called  away  all  the  troops  that  could 
be  spared. 

Sunday,  the  22d,  it  was  still  raining.  Services  were  held  in 
several  churches.  This  night  Company  G  picketed  the  Jamesville 
road ;  the  writer  was  in  the  reserve,  and  has  a  most  vivid  memory 
of  sitting  and  shivering  in  the  drizzle,  with  a  tour  of  sentry  duty  in 
the  road  about  dawn  as  a  variation,  until  it  was  time  to  go  in. 

The  next  day,  Monday  the  23d,  the  steamer  "  North  Shore  " 
arrived  with  ten  days'  rations  and  our  sutler;  which,  looking  like 
a  longer  sojourn  here,  rather  discouraged  the  majority  of  us  who 
had  come  away  with  only  the  clothes  we  stood  in,  leaving  our 
others  with  the  "aunties"  who  had  taken  them  to  wash  in  New 
Berne.  In  the  afternoon  we  were  ordered  back  to  our  tents  on 
the  Grist  estate. 

Tuesday,  the  24th,  was  a  day  of  routine  duty;  drill,  etc.,  being 
the  staple  of  the  diaries.  Our  friend  Grist  went  out  of  the  place 
this  day,  but  little  regretted  by  us. 

From  this  time  until  the  30th  our  life  was  simply  the  usual 
monotonous  routine  of  camp  duty;  there  was  more  or  less  heavy 
rain,  and  those  wrho  had  sunk  their  tent  floors  below  the  level  of 
"  the  surrounding  country  "  were  drowned  out  and  thrown  upon 
the  hospitality  of  those  in  drier  shelters  whose  "  chums"  were  on 
guard  or  other  detail. 

On  Monday,  the  3Oth,  General  Foster  and  his  staff  arrived  from 
Plymouth,  and  the  effect  of  his  presence  was  at  once  manifest  in 
an  increased  activity.  He  at  once  inspected  the  works,  and  took 
measures  to  improve  their  defensibility,  details  being  set  to  work 
everywhere ;  orderlies  rode  to  and  fro,  and  reconnoitring  parties 
were  pushed  out  on  all  the  roads.  It  is  with  the  one  on  the  New 
Berne  road  that  this  history  chiefly  has  to  do. 

About  eleven  o'clock  Companies  A  and  G  were  assembled, 
carrying  only  arms  and  canteens,  and  under  the  command  of 
Captain  James  M.  Richardson  of  Company  A  marched  down 
toward  the  bridge;  on  the  way  we  were  joined  by  about  a  dozen 
cavalrymen  under  Lieutenant  "  Teddy  "  O'Brien,  and  a  squad  of 
artillerymen  drawing  a  Wiard  three-inch  rifle ;  the  whole  party 
was  under  command  of  Captain  Richardson. 


1 66  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

Passing  out  upon  the  bridge,  the  tread  of  the  column  caused  it 
to  shake  before  our  whole  length  had  fairly  got  out  upon  it.  I 
remember  Captain  Richardson  turning  and  calling  out,  "  Break 

step,  boys,  or  we'll  shake  the  d d  thing  down  into  the  river ! " 

which  was  accordingly  done.  Passing  off  the  bridge  we  came 
upon  the  road,  bordered  on  both  sides  by  the  swamp,  of  unknown 
depth ;  about  a  mile  out  a  halt  was  made,  and  a  shell  fired  up  the 
road,  with  what  effect,  if  any,  I  do  not  know.  This  was  repeated 
several  times ;  about  a  mile  farther  on  we  came  to  a  low  line  of 
earthworks  at  the  crest  of  a  slight  rise,  where  some  one  picked 
up  a  bright  tin  canteen  of  a  different  pattern  from  ours.  Here  we 
assumed  a  formation  not  set  down  in  the  tactics,  marching  by  the 
right  flank  undoubled,  each  rank  on  its  side  of  the  road,  Company 
G  taking  the  advance ;  the  writer,  being  in  the  rear  rank,  was  on 
the  right  of  the  road  ;  at  the  head  was  a  sort  of  squad  of  skirmish 
ers  consisting  of  Orderly  Sergeant  Hobart,  Corporal  Lawrence, 
Adams  (VV.  W.),  Leonard,  Holden,  Eliot,  and  Jones  of  Company 
G ;  with  them,  and  on  the  left  of  the  road,  were  Captains  Hunt  and 
Richardson  and  Lieutenant  O'Brien.  At  the  foot  of  the  little 
hill  a  brook  crossed  the  road  ;  the  planks  had  been  taken  up,  leav 
ing  only  the  roughly  squared  string-pieces,  on  which  we  crossed. 
I  do  not  remember  seeing  anything  of  the  cavalry  or  infantry 
after  crossing  the  brook,  until  we  returned  to  the  earthwork 
above  mentioned.  We  moved  out  beyond  the  brook  perhaps  a 
hundred  yards ;  in  front  of  us  was  a  brush  barricade  across  the 
road,  which  gave  no  signs  of  being  occupied,  so  far  as  the  writer 
knows,  until,  when  we  were  within  some  fifty  yards  of  it,  a  volley, 
immediately  followed  by  another,  was  fired  from  it  in  our  very 
faces;  a  third  volley  followed  before  we  could  start  to  deploy, 
which  we  did  at  once  without  waiting  for  the  order;  that,  how 
ever,  came  promptly  in  Captain  Hunt's  voice,  "  Deploy  !  deploy  !  " 
We  formed  an  irregular  skirmish-line,  taking  the  benefit  of  such 
trees  as  offered,  and  opened  a  fire,  noisy  if  not  effective.  The 
fire  of  the  enemy,  from  smooth-bore  muskets  with  both  buck- 
and-ball  and  the  half  round  "  Mississippi"  bullet,  was  principally 
confined  to  the  road.  After  a  few  minutes  of  this  we  heard  the 
call,  "  Fall  back,  men,  fall  back  !  "  which  we  did,  keeping  as  long  as 
we  could  in  the  shelter  of  the  swamp,  but  finding  the  water  growing 


WASHINGTON.  1 67 

deeper  as  we  approached  the  stream,  were  at  last  forced  to  take 
to  the  road ;  the  writer  was  one  of  the  last  to  get  in.  When  we 
struck  the  road,  about  a  hundred  yards  from  the  barricade  from 
which  the  enemy  were  firing,  wre  at  once  found  ourselves  under  a 
heavy  and  close  musketry-fire  from  apparently  a  hundred  men  or 
more  ;  we  knew  nothing  of  what  might  have  happened,  but  we  ran 
literally  "  for  dear  life."  The  dust  pattered  up  in  the  road  where 
the  bullets  grazed,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  next  shot  must  bring 
one  down,  but  the  writer  for  one  ran  fast  and  straight.  The  man 
preceding  me  slipped  on  the  timber  and  soused  up  to  his  neck  in 
the  brook ;  but  before  he  had  scrambled  out  I  was  across  the  log 
and  on  my  way  up  the  slope.  As  we  got  farther  away  the  fire  be 
came  less  serious,  and  presently  we  were  beckoned  by  some  one 
at  the  top  of  the  hill  to  take  the  sides  of  the  road ;  as  we  did  so 
a  shell  from  the  VViard  rifle  passed  us.  We  assembled  at  the 
little  line  of  earthworks,  one  or  t\vo  stopping  by  the  way  to  take 
a  last  shot ;  then  we  looked  around  to  see  who  was  missing. 

Orderly  Sergeant  Hobart,  Corporal  Lawrence,  Private  Leonard, 
killed  or  wounded,  no  one  seemed  to  know  definitely.  Captain 
Richardson  sat  on  a  horse  belonging  to  one  of  the  cavalrymen, 
looking  weak,  and  evidently  "  hard  hit."  As  the  companies  fell 
in,  Captain  Hunt  went  to  him  for  orders.  "  Do  the  best  you  can, 
Charley,"  I  heard  him  say.  We  immediately  started  on  our  return, 
a  platoon  of  Company  A  under  Lieutenant  Coffin  being  detailed 
to  act  as  rear-guard.  The  march  was  quick,  though  not  espe 
cially  hurried,  that  I  can  remember.  Once  we  halted  to  transfer 
Captain  Richardson,  who  had  become  too  weak  from  loss  of  blood 
to  sit  his  horse,  to  the  gun-carriage.  About  half-way  back  the 
now  familiar  shriek  of  an  eight-inch  shell  made  us  all  duck  and 
then  grin  at  each  other  as  we  realized  that  it  was  going  in  the 
direction  from  whence  we  were  coming,  and  was  in  fact  from  the 
"  Louisiana,"  and  fired  to  cover  our  retreat. 

We  arrived  in  camp  without  further  misadventure.  Our  losses 
turned  out  to  be  as  follows:  Captain  Richardson,  flesh  wounds 
in  left  arm  and  shoulder,  and  had  lost  much  blood ;  Sergeant 
Hobart,  seriously  wounded,  perhaps  mortally;  Private  Leonard, 
apparently  seriously  wounded ;  Corporal  Lawrence,  unknown. 
We  had  brought  in  Captain  Richardson,  but  the  others  we  had 


1 68  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

been  obliged  to  leave,  General  Foster,  upon  application  for  per 
mission  to  send  out  a  flag  of  truce  with  an  ambulance,  saying  that 
he  doubted  if  a  flag  would  be  respected  just  then  ;  but  those  who 
escaped  unmarked,  at  least  in  Company  G,  were  few,  —  grazed 
skins,  cut  clothes,  and  damaged  arms  and  equipments  being  the 
rule.  It  seems  we  were  sent  to  find  where  the  enemy's -picket 
reserves  were ;  we  found  them. 

Lieutenant  O'Brien  was  said  to  have  left  for  the  rear  at  the  first 
volley,  his  clothing  wounded  in  divers  places,  with  the  remark 

that  "  He  'd  be  d d  if  he  was  going  to  be  killed  in  any  little 

infantry  skirmish  !  "  It  appears  to  have  been  at  this  little  party  of 
officers  and  men  on  the  left  of  the  road  that  the  first  volley  was 
principally  directed,  as  all  who  were  wounded  seem  to  have  been 
hit  by  this  volley. 

At  the  same  time  the  enemy  appeared  on  the  roads  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river,  driving  in  the  pickets,  and  a  general  attack 
being  apprehended,  measures  were  taken  accordingly.  The  regi 
ment  was  ordered  out  on  the  line  of  the  works;  Companies  E,  C, 
and  D,  with  a  company  of  the  First  North  Carolina,  were  formed 
in  line  as  a  reserve  in  the  rear  of  Fort  Washington. 

The  weather,  which  had  been  bright  and  warm  in  the  forenoon, 
had  by  this  time  become  overcast  and  cold,  and  towards  night 
it  set  in  to  rain,  much  to  the  discomfort  of  the  men  on  the  line. 

About  dark  a  rocket  was  sent  up  from  Fort  Washington,  burst 
ing  over  the  Greenville  road,  as  a  signal  to  direct  the  fire  of  the 
gunboats. 

We  lay  behind  the  line  in  the  rain  all  night,  the  gunboats 
shelling  the  woods  in  our  front,  their  shells  passing  over  our  heads 
at  short  intervals. 

In  the  evening  Captain  Lyon  of  the  First  North  Carolina,  with 
a  force  variously  stated  as  one  and  two  companies,  was  sent  down 
the  river  to  Rodman's  Point  with  orders  to  intrench  and  hold  it 
against  the  enemy.  The  gunboat  "  Commodore  Hull  "  also 
dropped  down  the  stream  to  cover  his  position.  At  daybreak 
they  were  attacked  and  driven  to  the  river-bank  with  a  loss  of 
eight  wounded,  in  spite  of  strenuous  resistance  on  their  part, 
seconded  by  the  fire  of  the  "  Hull." 

While  they  were  trying  to  put  off,  one  of  their  flatboats  grounded 


WASHINGTON.  169 

hard  and  fast;  the  men  were  lying  flat  to  escape  the  terrible 
musketry-fire ;  one  of  the  negro  boatmen  remarking,  "  Some 
body 's  got  to  die  to  git  us  out  of  dis,  and  it  may  as  well  be 
me,"  deliberately  got  out  of  the  boat  and  pushed  it  off,  falling 
into  it  pierced  by  five  bullets.  Dr.  Ware  afterwards  amputated 
a  leg  and  cut  out  part  of  the  bone  of  one  arm,  "  but  the  man 
died/' — an  instance  of  pure  heroism  unsurpassed  by  any  the 
war  affords. 

The  enemy  who  seized  Rodman's  Point  brought  with  them  a 
battery  of  English  Whitworth  guns,  which  they  afterwards  placed 
in  the  battery  they  threw  up  there ;  and  more  than  once  or  twice 
during  the  siege  the  peculiar  sound  of  their  projectiles  was  heard 
passing  over  Company  G's  position  from  the  right  and  rear.  Much 
to  our  comfort  we  learned  that  two  of  them  were  burst  by  trying 
to  use  home-made  ammunition. 

On  this  day,  the  3ist,  it  is  said  that  Hill  ordered  an  assault  on 
our  works.  The  men  were  already  drawn  up  and  all  dispositions 
made  for  the  attack ;  but  the  apparent  strength  of  the  works  when 
reconnoitred,  and  the  evident  unwillingness  of  the  men,  caused 
the  attempt  to  be  given  up.  Be  this  as  it  may,  this  morning 
Hill  summoned  the  town  to  surrender.  The  summons  was  ad 
dressed  to  "The  Colonel  in  Command,"  and  offered  twenty-four 
hours  to  send  out  the  women  and  children.  General  Foster 
would  not  allow  the  flag  to  enter  the  place,  but  sent  out  officers 
to  meet  it.  When  they  reported  at  the  Fort,  officers  of  Battery  G 
heard  him  say,  "  Go  back  and  tell  them  if  they  want  Washing 
ton,  come  and  take  it."  When  this  reply  was  returned  as  com 
ing  from  the  General,  the  Confederate  officer  is  said  to  have  ex- 

o 

claimed,  "  My  God  !   is  General  Foster  here?  " 

This  day  the  enemy  began  to  throw  up  works  to  shelter 
their  batteries  at  the  edge  of  the  woods  near  the  left  of  their  line, 
and  upon  being  discovered  were  promptly  shelled  from  Fort 
Hamilton  and  Blockhouse  No.  4. 

To-day  also  Virgil  Gilbert,  a  civilian  from  the  "  Louisiana,"  ran 
the  blockade  in  a  lighter,  with  despatches  for  the  gunboats  below. 
The  blockade  consisted  of  a  row  of  piles  in  the  river  nearly  opposite 
Hill's  Point,  crossing  the  stream  and  leaving  only  an  opening 
close  under  the  guns  of  the  battery  there.  Batteries  were  also 


I/O  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

planted  at  other  points,  notably  Rodman's  Point,  the  guns  at 
which  place  afterwards  caused  us  much  annoyance.  In  short, 
we  found  we  had  to  do  with  an  active  and  enterprising  enemy. 

The  batteries  at  Hill's  Point  were  cut  in  the  high  clay  bank  so 
as  to  be  practically  invulnerable  to  the  guns  of  our  fleet. 

Wednesday,  April  I,  the  battery  at  Rodman's  Point,  mounting 
two  Whitworths  and  a  Parrott  rifle,  and  also  a  battery  some  dis 
tance  above,  with  one  thirty-two-pounder,  opened  on  the  right 
of  the  line  and  Fort  Hamilton,  where  Company  C  was  stationed ; 
one  Whitworth  shot  went  through  the  corner  of  Blockhouse 
No.  4,  tearing  blankets,  knapsacks,  etc.,  and  scattering  the  con 
tents  of  a  big  box  of  cayenne-pepper,  causing  much  sneezing; 
the  town  also  came  in  for  a  share  of  these  favors. 

The  "  Louisiana  "  could  hardly  be  sprung  so  as  to  bring  her 
broadside  to  bear  on  the  upper  battery,  but  the  enemy's  fire  was 
returned  briskly  by  all  the  gunboats.  Between  eight  and  nine 
o'clock  the  "  Commodore  Hull "  was  obliged  to  change  her  posi 
tion,  and  in  doing  so,  grounded,  the  water  in  the  river  being  very 
low  on  account  of  several  days'  westerly  winds.  She  became  a 
target  for  the  enemy's  Whitworths,  being  hit  over  a  hundred 
times,  and  two  or  three  shells  exploding  on  board.  Several  of 
her  guns  were  disabled,  and  three  of  her  crew  wounded;  but  the 
engines  escaped  without  injury. 

The  working  parties  in  Fort  Hamilton  spent  a  good  part  of 
their  time  in  dodging  shells ;  and  along  the  whole  line  details 
were  at  work,  heightening,  extending,  and  thickening  traverses. 
At  the  one  where  the  writer  was  posted,  a  return  at  a  considerable 
angle  was  thrown  up  to  cover  us  from  the  W'hitworth  projectiles 
from  Rodman's  Point.  The  transports,  with  Prince's  brigade,  ar 
rived  in  sight  this  day.  Foster  sent  down  orders  to  Prince  to  land 
his  troops ;  but  Prince  reported  it  to  be  impracticable,  and  it  was 
not  done.  The  town  was  now  completely  invested,  and  all  commu 
nication  with  our  forces  outside  had  to  be  held  by  running  the 
blockade  in  sail-boats  and  lighters.  Ammunition  also  was  found 
to  be  running  short.  The  investing  force  consisted  of — Daniel's 
Brigade  of  Infantry,  five  regiments  ;  Garnett's  Brigade  of  Infantry, 
six  regiments ;  Pettigrew's  Brigade  of  Infantry,  six  regiments ; 
Robertson's  Brigade  of  Cavalry,  three  regiments ;  artillery 


WASHINGTON.  I/I 

amounting  to  forty  guns,  and  some  independent  battalions,  which 
made  up  the  total  to  close  upon  15,000. 

No  regular  siege  operations  were  carried  on,  but  the  enemy 
seemed  to  rely  upon  starving  us  out,  and  annoyed  us  in  the  mean 
time  with  his  artillery.  We  often  heard  from  his  pickets  that  they 
had  "  got  us  just  where  they  wanted  us,"  had  "  got  us  bagged," 
etc.  About  midnight  the  "  Hull "  got  afloat,  and  took  position 
abreast  of  the  town ;  firing  ceased  on  both  sides  at  nightfall. 

The  New  Berne  road  was  picketed  this  night  by  a  detachment 
from  Company  C,  who  learned  from  the  Rebel  pickets  that  our 
wounded  were  at  a  house  some  two  miles  up  the  road,  with  good 
medical  attendance,  and  in  care  of  ladies,  and  doing  well.  Hobart 
was  shot  through  the  left  lung,  not  considered  dangerously, 
Leonard  had  lost  his  right  eye,  and  Lawrence  was  slightly 
wounded  in  the  neck  with  a  buckshot. 

Thursday  morning,  the  2cl,  the  gunboats  below  ran  up  and 
engaged  the  Hill's  Point  battery,  but  without  effect,  and  after 
considerable  expenditure  of  valuable  ammunition  dropped  down 
the  river  again,  —  being  the  first  of  a  daily  series  of  such  perform 
ances.  Renshaw  says  of  the  boats  within  the  lines :  — 

"  The  2d  instant  one  hundred  and  twenty-one  shot  and  shell  of  various 
calibre  and  description  were  fired  at  the  gunboats  and  town  by  the  enemy 
without  doing  any  material  damage.  After  consulting  with  General  Foster 
I  ordered  that  no  notice  should  be  taken  by  returning  their  fire.  The 
enemy  were  briskly  engaged  during  the  latter  part  of  the  day  erecting  bat 
teries  opposite  our  intrenchments." 

Virgil  Gilbert  ran  the  blockade  up  the  river  with  despatches 
to-day;  reports  Rebel  pickets  all  along  the  river-banks.  A  brisk 
fire  was  kept  up  on  the  right  of  our  lines  through  the  day  by  the 
Rodman's  Point  battery. ' 

Friday,  the  3d,  a  new  battery  on  Ellison's  Hill,  near  the 
enemy's  left,  opened  on  the  forts,  making  things  especially  lively 
for  those  in  Fort  Hamilton.  Commodore  Renshaw  says:  - 

"  On  the  3d  instant,  together  with  the  two  batteries  that  had  been  playing 
on  us,  a  third  one  opened  directly  abreast  of  us,  containing  a  rifled  twelve- 
pounder  distant  about  six  hundred  yards  ;  they  succeeded  in  firing  five 
shots,  when  it  was  silenced,  our  shells  completely  demolishing  the  work. 
The  other  two  batteries  fired  ninety-eight  shot  and  shell  during  the  day." 


172  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

The  writer  was  on  guard  this  day,  and  while  on  post  saw  a 
mounted  man  ride  out  from  the  cut  in  Red  Hill,  through  which 
the  Jamesville  road  passes,  and,  dismounting  within  some  six  or 
seven  hundred  yards  of  our  lines,  take  a  leisurely  survey  of  them  ; 
several  thirty-two-pound  shots  were  fired  at  him,  but  he  paid 
them  no  attention  until  he  got  ready  to  go,  when  he  mounted, 
and  deliberately  rode  back  into  the  cut.  About  ten  o'clock  the 
gunboats  below  came  up  for  the  usual  diversion  at  Hill's  Point. 

Commodore  Renshaw  sent  a  small  despatch-boat  down  to  the 
fleet,  under  Master's  Mate  McKeever;  he  was  fired  at  twenty-one 
times  from  Rodman's  Point,  and  narrowly  escaped  being  hit; 
was  fired  upon  twice  from  Hill's  Point.  At  6  P.M.,  despatches 
were  again  sent  down  to 'General  Palmer,  who  was  below,  but  the 
boat  was  not  fired  upon. 

At  night  the  "  Ceres "  gunboat,  acting  volunteer  Lieutenant 
McDearmid  commanding,  ran  the  blockade  with  a  supply  of  am 
munition,  which,  as  already  mentioned,  was  running  short,  as  well 
as  our  commissary  stores,  with  the  exception  of  coffee ;  meat  had 
by  this  time  disappeared  from  our  rations,  and  we  were  reduced 
to  two-thirds  rations  of  bread  ( eight  hard-tack  per  day).  Two 
men  of  the  Twenty-seventh  were  badly  injured  in  Fort  Hamilton 
by  a  premature  explosion  of  the  thirty-two-pounder,  being  blown 
over  the  parapet. 

Saturday,  the  4th,  the  Rodman's  Point  battery  being  reported 
abandoned,  Companies  H  and  K  and  two  companies  of  the 
Twenty-seventh  were  sent  down  on  the  "  Ceres  "  to  occupy  it, 
but  with  orders  to  return  if  the  battery  had  not  been  removed. 
When  well  towards  her  destination  two  guns  opened  fire,  and  she 
turned  to  come  back,  but  the  river  was  so  low  that  she  grounded. 
Boats  were  immediately  sent  to  her  assistance,  and  the  troops 
were  brought  back  with  the  loss  of  three  wounded.  Commodore 
Renshaw  says :  — 

"Fortunately  no  damage  was  done  excepting  two  men  who  were 
wounded  by  the  enemy's  shrapnel.  While  the  'Ceres'  was  aground  she 
did  good  work  with  her  guns.  For  want  of  ammunition,  or  being  de 
ceived  by  her  appearance,  the  enemy  ceased  firing,  and  all  the  troops, 
fortunately,  were  safely  landed." 

In  the  evening  the  "  Eagle  "  towed  the  "  Ceres  "  off. 


WASHINGTON.  173 

About  2  P.  M.  a  new  battery  was  opened  by  the  enemy  on  the 
Widow  Blunt  place,  in  rear  of  Fort  Hamilton,  but  was  soon 
silenced  by  our  guns.  They  had  two  six-pound  rifled  guns,  but 
their  shot  mostly  fell  short;  they  were  seen  from  Fort  Hamilton 
to  come  up  and  fire  their  guns,  then  run  back  and  hide.  We 
learned  from  the  previous  night's  pickets  that  our  wounded  had 
been  removed  to  Greenville.  A  tobacco  ration  was  this  day 
served  in  Company  G,  from  the  company  fund,  and  thereafter 
every  two  or  three  days. 

Sunday,  the  5th,  was  comparatively  quiet  on  our  part  of  the 
line  by  Blockhouse  2,  but  Hall  ("  History  Third  New  York  Artil 
lery")  says  under  this  date  that  the  fire  on  the  fort  began  to 
grow  heavy.  Ammunition  was  short  and  our  fire  slow  and  accu 
rate;  the  supply  was  now  brought  up  by  sail  and  row  boats  at 
night.  The  weather  began  to  be  warm,  and  we  also  began  badly 
to  feel  the  need  of  our  spare  clothing  left  at  New  Berne,  as  most 
of  us  had  only  what  we  wore  when  we  left  there,  and  wanted  a 
change  badly.  Heavy  firing  reported,  as  usual,  down  the  river; 
it  was  said  that  nine  gunboats  were  seen  below. 

Monday,  the  6th,  was  warm  and  pleasant.  Company  G  was 
formed  in  rear  of  its  place  on  the  line,  and  each  platoon  de 
ployed  as  skirmishers,  and  the  skirmish-line  marched  up  to  the 
works ;  then  each  man  was  directed  to  mark  his  place  on  the 
line,  and  construct  a  loophole  to  fire  through,  with  a  shelter  for 
his  head,  which  was  done.  The  loopholes  were  revetted  with 
sods,  and  in  many  instances  were  very  neat  and  workmanlike 
affairs,  commanding  a  good  sweep,  and  completely  sheltering 
the  rifleman.  Camp-fires  were  visible  all  about  us.  This  day 
General  Foster  visited  Fort  Hamilton  and  directed  the  abatis 
strengthened  on  the  land  side ;  also  had  the  parapet  loop- 
holed  as  above.  Commodore  Renshaw's  report  says :  — 

"  An  occasional  shot  from  thirty-two-pounder  in  Rebel  upper  battery. 
The  enemy  busy  at  Rodman's  clearing  the  woods  and  building  a  raft. 
About  4  p.  M.  an  explosion  at  that  point  followed  by  the  burning  of  a  large 
building.  At  8  p.  M.  started  a  dummy  down  the  river ;  the  wind  being 
light  and  the  tide  slack,  it  did  not  arrive  off  Rodman's  until  nearly 
IIP.  M.,  when  they  opened  fire  from  their  batteries  upon  it,  also  volleys 
of  musketry." 


174  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

Tuesday,  the  /th,  there  was  quite  a  lively  little  fight  between 
the  Rodman's  Point  and  Widow  Blunt  batteries  on  the  enemy's 
side,  and  Fort  Hamilton  and  the  "  Eagle  "  on  ours.  Renshaw 
says :  - 

"  Having  been  informed  that  the  enemy  were  fitting  a  steamer  and  two 
flats  to  come  down  the  river,  also  that  they  were  well  protected  by  cotton- 
bales,  I  conferred  with  General  Foster,  and  determined  to  build  a  naval 
battery  in  a  position  that  commanded  the  channel  above.  At  10  P.M.  a 
thirty-pound  Parrott  gun  from  the  '  Ceres  '  and  a  twelve-pound  rifled  how 
itzer  from  the  '  Louisiana '  were  in  battery  ready  for  action.  The  river 
was  well  protected  two  miles  above  by  our  torpedoes.  One  hundred  and 
twelve  shot  and  shell  were  fired  from  the  enemy's  batteries  during  the  day 
at  the  gunboats  and  town  without  material  injury ;  none  were  replied  to 
except  one  in  the  swamp,  which  was  instantly  silenced." 

With  regard  to  the  above,  another  account  says :  — 

"  The  Rebels  planted  a  gun  in  the  swamp  this  morning  and  opened  on 
the  gunboats,  which  opened  broadsides  of  one-second  shells  and  canister, 
the  range  being  only  about  one  hundred  yards.  The  firing  from  the  boats 
was  terrific,  but  for  all  this  they  managed  to  fire  the  gun  once  more,  and 
I  have  not  the  least  doubt  that  nearly  every  man  there  was  killed,  as  they 
did  not  fire  again." 


Another  account  says  of  the  boys  in  the  lines: 


"  Opened  again  towards  night.  Down  we  go  into  the  dirt.  Both  bat 
teries  directed  here,  —  Widow's  and  Rodman's,  —  also  from  32  across  the 
river.  Shells  burst  directly  over  us.  Some  one  stands  on  parapet  to 
watch  ;  when  he  sees  smoke  at  Rodman's  cries  out,  and  down  we  go 
close  to  the  bank  in  that  direction.  Soon  he  is  up  again  and  cries  '32  !' 
Down  we  go  again.  Again  he  rises,  cries  out  'Widow's  ! '  Down  again. 
Sometimes  two  batteries  fire  at  the  same  time,  but  it 's  always  all  of  thirty 
seconds  after  we  see  the  smoke  before  the  shot  strikes." 

Thursday,  the  Qth,  we  were  turned  out  at  half-past  three  in  the 
morning,  but  nothing  unusual  happened.  Two  schooners  came 
up  in  the  fog  about  one  A.  M.,  with  fifteen  tons  of  ammunition, 
and  were  fired  into  by  our  sentries.  Nothing  else  of  note  hap 
pened  this  day.  Artillery  firing  was  heard  during  the  afternoon 
which  proceeded  from  Spinola's  column,  who  had  run  against  the 
enemy  at  Blount's  Bridge. 

About  noon  of  the  8th  General  Spinola,  with  a  force  of  some 
5,000  infantry,  including  the  Third,  Fifth,  Eighth,  Seventeenth, 


WASHINGTON.  1/5 

and  Forty-third  Massachusetts,  and  the  Fifth  Rhode  Island,  with 
Riggs's,  Ashbay's,  Howells's,  Belger's,  and  Ransom's  batteries, 
started  from  New  Berne  to  come  overland  to  our  relief. 

About  noon  the  next  day,  the  Qth,  the  head  of  the  column 
came  upon  the  enemy  in  force,  in  a  strong,  natural  position  at 
Blount's  Creek.  He  was  posted  on  a  hill  on  the  farther  side  of 
the  creek,  his  flanks  covered  by  a  swamp,  and  his  position  was 
approachable  only  by  a  narrow  mill-dam,  completely  enfiladed 
by  his  guns.  Belger's  battery  was  at  once  ordered  forward, 
and  opened,  under  a  heavy  fire  of  grape  and  canister  from  the 
enemy.  Belger  himself  was  wounded ;  and  some  eight  or  ten 
more  casualties  having  occurred  in  about  two  hours'  firing, 
Spinola  gave  up  the  idea  of  proceeding,  and  drew  off"  his  men, 
having  made  no  attempt  either  to  force  or  to  flank  the  enemy's 
position.  He  retreated  direct  to  New  Berne,  marching  with  con 
siderable  haste,  and  reached  that  place  on  the  evening  of  the  loth, 
with  his  men  well  used  up  with  marching.  So  ended  the  only 
attempt  made  to  relieve  us  from  New  Berne.  An  officer  of  the 
Seventeenth  in  a  letter  to  a  friend  says :  "  It  was  considered  a 
most  perilous  one,  —  a  forlorn  hope.  Most  of  the  officers  con 
sidered  we  were  marching  to  entire  defeat,  and  to  death  or  a 
prison."  There  certainly  seems  to  have  been  a  plentiful  lack  of 
energy  and  capacity  shown  in  the  conduct  of  the  expedition,  and 
it  seems  very  strange  that  the  extended  line  of  the  enemy  could 
not  have  been  broken  through  by  a  force  of  at  least  one  third  of 
his  own  entire  number,  and  with  his  forces  divided  by  a  river,  the 
only  bridge  by  which  direct  crossing  could  be  made  being  closed 
to  them.  If  the  same  dash  and  push  had  been  shown  as  was 
done  at  Southwest  Creek  in  the  previous  December,  in  a  some 
what  similar  situation,  it  appears  to  the  writer  that  a  way  might 
have  been  found  to  force  or  flank  the  position. 

Spinola's  loss  of  the  confidence  of  the  men  was  quaintly  ex 
pressed  thereafter  by  a  transposition  of  the  letters  of  his  name, 
he  being  familiarly  mentioned  as  l<  Pz-snola ;  "  he  was  also  known 
as  "  General  By-Jesus,"  and  "  General  Dickey,"  in  allusion  to  the 
high  white  collars  which  he  then  did  and  does  still,  we  hear, 
make  himself  conspicuous  by  wearing. 

It  was  the  custom  of  each  company  on  the  land  side  to  picket 


1/6  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

its  own  front;  this  night,  the  Qth,  among  Company  G's  detail 
were  the  writer's  two  tent-mates,  Dolbeare  and  Atwood.  We 
occupied  a  tent  about  the  right  of  the  line  held  by  the  company, 
and  very  near  the  second  traverse  on  the  right  of  Blockhouse 
No.  2.  The  well,  on  the  top  of  the  plateau  on  the  western  slope 
of  which  was  our  tent,  was  about  a  hundred  yards  to  our  right 
and  rear;  it  was  an  old-fashioned  affair,  with  curb  and  sweep  and 
a  "dug-out"  trough,  and  with  the  tree  beside  it,  and  Company 
G's  cook-house  which  stood  "  convanient,"  must  have  been  a 
conspicuous  object  from  the  enemy's  batteries  on  Red  Hill. 

On  the  morning  of  Friday,  the  loth,  my  two  comrades  had 
come  in  from  picket  duty,  and  had  turned  in  to  make  up  their 
sleep ;  about  nine  o'clock  I  was  engaged  in  hanging  out  my 
blanket  to  air  behind  the  tent ;  a  squad  of  men  were  at  the  well, 
drawing  water  and  washing,  some  of  them  stripped  to  the  waist; 
some  firing  was  going  on  as  usual,  but  attracted  no  attention,  until 
one  shell  seemed  rather  nearer  than  common,  when  I  looked  up 
just  in  time  to  see  it  burst,  seemingly  almost  overhead  ;  the  group 
at  the  well  stood  not  on  the  order  of  their  going,  but  scattered 
with  more  haste  than  dignity,  some  of  them  making  comical  ex 
hibitions  in  their  endeavors  to  combine  rapid  locomotion  with  the 
completion  of  their  interrupted  toilet.  I  started  to  seize  my  gun 
and  equipments,  and  to  warn  my  comrades  in  the  tent ;  as  I 
emerged  with  my  traps  in  my  hand,  a  second  shell  cracked  as 
near  as  the  first,  and  I  saw  a  splinter  come  spinning  and  bound 
ing  down  the  slope  as  I  ran  for  my  place  at  the  next  traverse ; 
when  I  got  into  its  shelter  I  found  most  of  the  boys  of  the  second 
platoon  comfortably  seated  in  the  sand,  with  their  backs  to  the 
traverse,  laughing  at  those  who  had  to  come  in  later  under  fire, 
which  was  quite  severe,  coming  apparently  from  eight  guns  in  a 
new  battery,  the  first  to  reach  our  part  of  the  line;  as  we  were 
on  the  left  face  of  the  salient  between  the  fort  and  Blockhouse 
No.  2,  the  fire  enfiladed  us  and  took  us  slightly  in  reverse ;  the 
mark  of  a  shell  in  the  inside  of  the  line  was  noticed  by  the  writer 
later  in  the  day. 

The  fort  and  blockhouses  promptly  turned  their  attention  to 
the  stranger,  and  in  half  an  hour  the  firing  was  stopped  so  far  as 
we  were  concerned.  When  this  seemed  definitely  ascertained,  a 


WASHINGTON. 


177 


detail  of  twenty  of  us  were  despatched  to  the  town  to  see  what 
lumber  we  could  raise  to  make  a  roof  for  a  splinter-proof.  We 
went  straight  to  the  Grist  place,  where  we  found  that  his  gin- 
house  had  disappeared,  with  the  exception  of  its  floor  ;  this  we 
raised  bodily  from  its  foundations,  and  bore  it  back  with  us  on 
our  shoulders,  with  many  groans  but  much  satisfaction,  and  it 
became  the  principal  factor  in  the  construction  of  our  "  rat-hole," 
as  we  called  it,  of  which  the  illustration  will  give  as  good  an  idea 
as  I  can  do  in  writing ;  it  was  a  fair  sample  of  the  shelters  made 


all  along  the  line,  though  there  were  as  many  differences  in  detail 
as  there  were  varying  circumstances. 

The  tent  in  the  traverse  ditch  was  occupied  by  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Cabot,  who  commanded  that  part  of  the  line,  and  Cap 
tain  Hunt;  and  according  to  the  former  was  known  to  the  officers 
as  "  Hotel  Hunt." 

The  enemy  opened  on  us  again  about  noon  from  the  new  bat 
tery,  and  again  at  dark ;  but  by  that  time  our  "  rat-hole  "  was 
nearly  finished,  in  spite  of  these  interruptions.  On  the  forenoon 
of  this  day  Dr.  Ware  died.  The  news  of  his  death  cast  a  sadness 
over  the  whole  regiment,  as  he  had  won  his  way  into  the  confi 
dence  and  regard  of  the  entire  command.  The  fire  on  the  fort 
this  day  was  very  intense,  amounting,  Hall  says,  to  two  hundred 
shots  per  hour.  "  The  topmast  of  the  flagstaff  was  shot  away, 
bringing  the  flag  down  by  the  run.  David  Myrick  of  Battery  G, 
Third  New  York  Artillery,  climbed  the  mast  and  nailed  the  flag 


178  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

to  its  place.     Shots  struck  the  pole  above  and  below  him  while 
he  was  up  there,  and  one  of  them  jarred  him  down." 

When  Colonel  Cabot  was  quartered  at  our  traverse,  he  asked 
for  a  man  to  act  as  orderly;  upon  which  Colonel  Lee  called  Cor 
poral  Stephen  A.  Powers  of  Company  G,  and  presented  him  in 
these  words :  "  Here,  Colonel,  here  's  Corporal  Powers ;  he  '11  sing 
you  a  comic  song,  dance  you  a  jig,  or  shoot  you  a  Rebel,  which 
ever  you  want."  Powers  was  thereupon  duly  accredited  as  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel's  orderly,  and  obeyed  and  respected  accordingly. 
He  really  was  the  life  of  the  company,  making  fun  of  everything. 
On  one  occasion  as  we  sat  in  the  splinter-proof  listening  to  the 
whir  of  the  shell  overhead  he  remarked,  "  Oh,  thim  's  only  pigeon- 
wings,  boys !  "  and  shortly  after  broke  into  song  with  a  parody  of 
one  of  the  songs  of"  II  Recruitio,"  itself  a  parody:  — 

"  We  're  the  boys  that 's  awful  hungry, 

For  there  's  nothing  we  can  eat ; 
The  bloody  Rebs  are  trying  to  starve  us, 
And  we  cannot  now  retreat ;  " 

and  all  hands  joined  in  the  chorus. 

The  position  of  sentry  on  this  traverse  was  rather  trying  during 
the  "  morning  exercises,"  and  in  one  or  two  cases  was  filled,  when 
a  volunteer  was  called  for,  by  Private  Alden  J.  Adams,  who  was 
as  gay  when  under  fire  as  when  safe  and  snug  in  the  "  rat-hole." 

And  here  it  may  be  as  well  to  explain  hoiv  we  did  guard  duty 
at  Washington.  Each  man  of  the  platoon  went  on  in  rotation, 
there  being  two  posts  on  the  line  between  the  traverse  and  the 
blockhouse,  and  the  ceremony  of  a  sentinel  at  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Cabot's  headquarters  being  dispensed  with.  The  tour  of  duty  was, 
during  the  day,  two  hours ;  at  night,  one.  The  sergeant  of  the 
guard  sat  with  the  corporal  by  a  fire  behind  the  works,  at  the 
meeting  of  the  two  beats ;  at  night,  when  a  man's  time  was  up, 
the  corporal  would  hail  him  as  he  came  to  that  end  of  his  beat, 
"Your  time's  up,  —  who  relieves  you?  "  "  Cogswell,  sir."  "Well, 
go  and  wake  him  up."  Having  obeyed  which  order,  the  ex- 
sentry  would  turn  into  his  own  blankets  without  further  cere 
mony.  We  thought  this  was  getting  guard  duty  "  right  down 
fine ;  "  and  it  certainly  was  a  contrast  to  the  elaborate  guard- 
mountings  of  our  New  Berne  quarters. 


WASHINGTON.  1 79 

Saturday,  the  nth,  the  batteries  opened  on  us  promptly  when 
the  river-fog  cleared,  about  8  A.  M.  The  firing  was  quite  rapid; 
most  of  the  projectiles  were  twelve-pound  Parrott  fuse-shell,  few 
of  which  burst,  but  most  of  them  "  tumbled  "  handsomely,  making 
a  great  racket  as  they  passed.  There  seemed  to  be  also  a  few 
six-pound  smooth-bores.  Some  of  the  shot  reached  the  extreme 
left  to-day,  one  falling  in  the  river,  very  near  two  of  Company 
D's  men  who  were  washing  there  at  the  time. 

Yesterday,  when  I  returned  to  my  tent  to  get  my  blankets,  as 
we  were  to  sleep  in  the  splinter-proof,  I  found  a  shot-hole 
through  the  side  toward  the  batteries ;  in  Company  A  one  shot 
plunged  through  the  "  guy"  end  of  a  tent,  picked  up  a  knapsack, 
and  out  with  it  through  the  other  side  of  the  tent,  tearing  the 
guy  to  ribbons,  and  dropping  the  knapsack  a  little  farther  on,  in 
a  very  demoralized  condition ;  in  fact,  as  a  knapsack,  its  useful 
ness  was  over  when  the  shot  got  through  with  it. 

Some  of  Company  D's  men  found  on  the  Schenkl  fuse-plugs  of 
some  shells  picked  up  in  the  lines  the  mark  of  Messrs.  George  D. 
Fox  &  Co.  of  Boston ;  perhaps  they  came  to  Mr.  Hill,  in  care  of 
Maj.-Gen.  John  D.  Pope,  the  summer  before.  The  companies  on 
our  right,  nearer  the  fort,  seem  to  have  experienced  more  annoy 
ance  from  the  enemy's  fire  than  we  did  ;  and  it  seems  very  singu 
lar  that  there  were  absolutely  no  casualties  in  the  regiment  after 
March  30. 

This  night,  about  1 1  P.  M.,  Company  E's  sentry  heard  a  noise 
in  their  front,  and  gave  an  alarm  which  turned  out  the  company ; 
on  investigation  a  man  was  found  wandering  about  who  proved 
to  be  one  of  our  own  pickets ;  how  he  got  there  was  not 
explained.  We  were  ordered  back  to  our  tents  to  sleep  this 
night. 

Sunday,  the  I2th,  we  were  all  busy  pitching  our  tents  near  our 
place  in  the  line,  so  that  we  could  all  be  on  hand  in  case  of 
alarm.  About  9.30  A.  M.  the  enemy  commenced  the  ordinary 
morning  diversion,  which  lasted  about  three  quarters  of  an  hour, 
with  the  usual  results.  General  Palmer  arrived  below  this  day. 
To-day  we  were  served  a  ration  of  flour  in  the  shape  of  soft  bis 
cuit  instead  of  hard-tack ;  but  it  was  questionable  whether  the 
change  was  for  the  better. 


ISO  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

Renshaw  says :  — • 

"  1 2th  instant,  finding  that  the  enemy  had  repaired  their  fort  in  the 
swamp  abreast  of  us  with  sand-bags  and  cotton-bales,  I  directed  the  gun 
boats  to  fire  on  it,  at  the  same  time  ordering  small  pieces  of  port-fire  to  be 
put  in  the  shells,  which  had  the  desired  effect  of  setting  fire  to  the  cotton. 
The  enemy,  under  the  galling  fire  of  the  gunboats,  attempted  to  extinguish 
the  flames,  but  their  efforts  proved  unsuccessful.  They  then  placed  a  red 
flag  with  a  dark  cross  directly  in  an  embrasure  and  left  it ;  when  we  ceased 
firing  there  was  but  little  vestige  of  fort  or  flag  left.  One  hundred  and 
four  shots  were  fired  during  the  day  at  the  gunboats  and  town ;  the  latter 
suffered  slightly." 

At  night  the  enemy  opened  on  the  "Louisiana"  and  bridge, 
but  without  effect;  at  the  same  time  the  "  Widow  Blunt"  scolded 
at  the  fort  for  a  while,  but  also  without  results. 

Monday,  the  I3th,  we  woke  and  found  it  raining  Fire  was 
opened  from  the  fort  on  the  Red  Hill  batteries  about  eight 
o'clock,  but  drew  no  reply.  After  the  enemy  left  we  found  that 
they  made  a  practice  of  bringing  up  their  guns  each  morning  and 
putting  them  in  battery  under  cover  of  the  river  fog ;  when  this 
cleared  away  they  would  open  fire,  often  with  a  volley,  and  when 
things  got  too  warm  for  them  they  would  haul  them  off  out  of 
range  again. 

Commodore  Renshaw  says  of  this  day's  operations :  — 

"Our  batteries  on  shore  fired  a  few  shots,  but  no  response  from  the 
enemy.  Rodman's  and  the  battery  containing  the  thirty-two-pounder  above 
fired  one  hundred  and  twenty  shots  at  the  gunboats  and  town ;  the 
'  Eagle  '  was  struck  twice,  producing  but  little  injury.  At  5  p.  M.  a  thirty- 
pound  rifled  gun  opened  fire  on  the  '  Louisiana,'  one-half  mile  distant  on 
the  New  Berne  road,  doing  no  damage  except  cutting  some  of  the  light 
rigging  and  blocks  away,  the  shots  mostly  passing  over  and  taking  effect  in 
the  town ;  this  gun  was  silenced  in  fifteen  minutes  by  the  '  Louisiana.' 
During  the  night  I  directed  the  mastheads  to  be  decorated  with  bushes  to 
correspond  with  the  woods,  the  enemy  having  range  of  us  from  both 
sides.  Having  understood  that  the  Rebel  infantry  were  in  the  habit  of 
keeping  guard  on  the  river  below  to  prevent  our  small  boats  coming 
through,  I  ordered  acting  volunteer  Lieutenant  MacDearmid  to  take  any 
small  schooner  he  could  find,  mount  a  howitzer,  and  drive  the  Rebel 
pickets  from  the  water.  About  i  o  p.  M.  he  encountered  the  Rebel  boats 
filled  with  infantry ;  after  exchanging  a  few  shots  they  were  compelled  to 
retire,  since  which  they  have  not  ventured  on  the  river  to  prevent  our 


WASHINGTON.  l8l 

small  boats  from   passing  up  and  down.      At    11.25   p- M-   tne   steamer 
'  Escort '  gallantly  ran  the  blockade  with  reinforcements  for  our  army." 

Towards  midnight  there  was  heavy  artillery  firing  on  the  river, 
increasing  in  intensity  and  nearness,  followed  by  great  cheering 
and  shouting  in  the  town.  We  were  turned  out,  but  soon  found 
that  instead  of  the  Rebels  having  assailed  our  works,  the  "  Escort," 
with  our  old  comrades  of  the  Fifth  Rhode  Island,  Colonel  Sisson 
on  board,  had  successfully  run  the  blockade  and  arrived  at  the 
town. 

The  boat  was  loaded  with  baled  hay,  and  the  men  protected 
as  much  as  possible ;  and  although  they  ran  the  gauntlet  of  a 
heavy  artillery  and  musketry  fire,  their  losses  were  slight,  being 
only  a  few  wounded. 

The  New  York  "  Herald  "  says :  — 

"  It  appears  that  on  Saturday  night,  April  1 1,  just  after  the  return  of 
General  Spinola  to  New  Berne,  and  before  any  time  had  been  given  them 
to  recover  from  the  fatigues  of  their  previous  labors,  the  officers  of  the 
Fifth  Rhode  Island  called  on  General  Palmer,  and  stated  that  their  men 
had  en  masse  requested  permission  to  run  past  the  batteries  below  Wash 
ington,  or  to  land  and  capture  them  bodily. 

"  The  offer  to  do  this  former  was  gladly  accepted,  and  the  transport 
'  Escort '  having  been  selected,  the  brave  boys  of  Little  Rhody,  with  the 
mud  of  their  previous  march  not  yet  dry  upon  their  clothing,  went  on 
board  at  midnight,  hardly  any  one  but  themselves  knowing  of  the  circum 
stance.  So  completely  exhausted  were  the  men  with  their  four  days'  hard 
marching  and  fighting,  that  when  they  found  themselves  on  board  the 
steamer  they  sank  down  to  rest  and  sleep  upon  the  bare  decks,  as  only 
tired  warriors  can.  .  .  . 

"  A  run  of  seventeen  hours  brought  them  to  the  fleet  of  gunboats,  five 
miles  below  the  battery  at  Hill's  Point,  where  delay  was  necessary  in  order 
to  arrange  a  plan  for  running  the  Rebel  blockade.  This  displeased  the 
Rhode  Islanders,  who  wished  to  face  the  music  at  once ;  but  they  were 
obliged  to  wait  the  trial  of  their  heroism  till  Monday  night. 

"About  ten  o'clock  on  Monday  night  the  gunboats  which  had  taken 
position  just  below  the  Hill's  Point  battery  opened  a  brisk  fire  upon  the 
Rebel  works,  but  were  unable  to  elicit  any  reply. 

"  During  the  cannonade  the  '  Escort,'  loaded  with  supplies  and  troops, 
steamed  up  past  the  gunboats,  and  before  the  Rebels  could  realize  the 
fact,  was  abreast  of  the  battery,  and  had  entered  the  pass  of  the  blockade, 
which  had  been  buoyed  out  by  Captain  McDermott  [MacDearmidJ  of 


1 82  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

the  '  Ceres/  through  which  she  passed  in  safety.  The  Hill's  Point  battery 
did  not  molest  her  in  passing,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  gunboats  kept  up 
such  an  incessant  and  well-directed  fire  upon  the  fort  as  to  make  it  impos 
sible  for  the  Rebels  to  get  their  guns  into  position. 

"  But  after  the  steamer  had  passed  the  blockade  her  trip  was  a  decid 
edly  exciting  one.  The  Rebels  had  posted  their  sharpshooters  on  rafts  in 
the  river,  in  the  bushes  on  the  shore,  and  they  also  had  planted  light  field 
batteries  along  the  south  bank  of  the  river,  near  which  the  channel  runs, 
from  which  they  kept  up  a  continuous  firing  of  volley  after  volley  of  mus 
ketry,  and  roar  upon  roar  of  artillery,  until  the  craft  was  lost  in  the  distance. 
For  six  miles  she  ran  the  fiery  gauntlet,  a  part  of  the  time  being  within 
three  hundred  yards  of  a  shore  which  swarmed  with  gray-backed  riflemen 
and  butternut-colored  artillerists,  whose  every  word  of  command  and  shout 
of  defiance  could  be  distinctly  heard  by  those  on  board. 

"  When  she  arrived  opposite  the  battery  on  Rodman's  farm,  the  guns 
which  had  so  nearly  demolished  the  '  Commodore  Hull,'  belched  forth 
their  hostile  welcome,  and  for  twenty  minutes  the  thunder  from  the  Rebel 
guns  was  continued.  Guided  only  by  the  firing  upon  shore,  the  brave 
pilot  headed  her  on  until  the  last  discharges  of  cannon  and  musketry  were 
heard  far  astern,  and  he  knew  he  was  close  upon  Washington.  Then  he 
espied  the  low  black  hull  of  one  of  our  gunboats,  and  heard  the  watch-bell 
upon  the  deck  tolling  out  the  hour  of  the  night ;  '  then  he  saw  the  dim 
lights  of  the  town,  and  heard  the  half-suppressed  voices  of  our  men  on 
shore,  and  he  doubly  realized  that  the  immediate  danger  was  over. 

"  You  know  that  I  have  seen  many  feats  of  valor  during  the  war,  and 
can  judge  somewhat  of  the  boldness  and  nerve  requisite  for  them,  and  can 
also  approximate  unto  something  like  a  reasonable  comparison  of  such 
events  ;  and  here  allow  me  to  say  that  this  feat  of  the  '  Escort '  and  those 
on  board  has  had  no  parallel  during  the  war.  Gunboats  and  iron-clads, 
to  be  sure,  have  run  past  batteries  in  wide  rivers,  as  it  was  their  place  to 
do,  and  the  events  have  been  telegraphed  far  and  wide ;  but  I  have  yet 
to  learn  of  an  unarmed  transport  loaded  with  a  regiment  of  men  and  a 
cargo  of  supplies  and  ammunition  even  attempting  such  a  thing  as  here 
narrated." 

At  the  same  time  three  schooners  laden  with  provisions  and 
ammunition  ran  the  blockade,  being  manned  by  thirty  volunteers 
from  the  Forty-third  Massachusetts,  who  were  also  lying  below. 

Tuesday,  the  I4th,  the  fog  cleared  early.  We  were  all  feeling 
happy  that  now  the  "  charm  was  broken,"  and  we  were  both 
physically  and  morally  reinforced  by  the  arrival  of  our  old  com 
rades  of  the  Fifth  Rhode  Island. 

While  Company  G  was  drawing  breakfast  in  the  hollow  between 


WASHINGTON. 


183 


the  traverses,  the  batteries  opened  on  us;  those  who  had  al 
ready  received  their  eight  hard-tack  and  their  coffee  suddenly 
evaporated ;  those  who  had  not,  hung  on,  cocking  their  eyes  up 
at  each  passing  shot  like  a  hen  in  a  shower,  but  keeping  in  line 
for  their  turn,  and  vamosing  with  remarkable  suddenness  as  soon 
as  their  dippers  were  full.  The  writer  had  to  wait  for  some  five 
or  six,  and  it  is  still  fresh  in  his  memory  how  he  stumbled  in  the 
drain  which  was  dug  from  the  traverse  ditch,  just  as  he  was  ready 
to  dive  for  shelter,  losing  half  his  coffee  up  his  sleeve,  to  the  huge 
and  undisguised  amusement  of  his  laughing  comrades.  The 
firing  was  of  short  duration  this  morning. 


"  The  enemy,"  Renshaw  reports,  "  attempted  to  raise  again 
their  flag  on  the  swamp  battery ;  a  few  well-directed  shell  from 
the  '  Commodore  Hull '  tore  it  to  pieces." 

At  night  the  writer  was  on  outside  picket;  it  rained  steadily  all 
night,  and  we  were  entirely  unmolested  and  quiet,  and  came  in 
next  morning  at  daybreak  very  tired  and  sleepy;  had  had  just 
about  time  to  eat  breakfast  when,  as  my  diary  says,  "  the  ball 
opened  at  twenty  minutes  before  seven,"  and  continued  the  usual 
forty-five  or  fifty  minutes ;  this  day  they  pelted  us  with  six-pound 
round  fuse-shell,  which  burst  well  and  made  things  particularly 
interesting  for  the  sentry  on  the  traverse. 

Meanwhile  the  firing  all  round  had  been  severe,  —  in  fact,  since 
we  came  in  from  picket;  we  afterwards  heard  that  General  Foster 


1 84  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

had  run  the  blockade  down  the  river  in  the  "  Escort,"  and  had 
gone  to  New  Berne  to  bring  up  a  column  overland  to  raise  the 
siege.  He  left  us  the  following  farewell  order :  — 

HEADQUARTERS  EIGHTEENTH  ARMY  CORPS, 
WASHINGTON,  N.  C.,  April  14,  1863. 

The  commanding  general  announces  to  the  garrison  of  this  town  that 
he  is  about  to  leave  for  a  brief  space  of  time  the  gallant  soldiers  and  sailors 
of  this  garrison.  Brigadier-General  Potter  will  remain  in  command,  and 
in  him  the  commanding  general  has  the  most  perfect  confidence  as  a 
brave  and  able  soldier.  The  command  of  the  naval  forces  remains  un 
changed  ;  therefore  that  arm  of  the  service  will  be  as  effective  and  perfect 
as  heretofore.  The  commanding  general  leaves  temporarily,  and  for  the 
purpose  of  putting  himself  at  the  head  of  a  relieving  force.  Having  raised 
the  siege,  he  expects  soon  to  return ;  but  before  leaving  he  must  express 
to  the  naval  force  here,  and  to  the  soldiers  under  his  command,  the 
Twenty-seventh  and  Forty-fourth  Massachusetts  regiments,  detachments 
of  the  Third  New  York  Cavalry  and  First  North  Carolina  volunteers,  his 
thanks  for  and  admiration  of  the  untiring  zeal,  noble  emulation,  and  excel 
lent  courage  which  have  distinguished  them  during  the  sixteen  days  of  the 
enemy's  attack  on  this  post ;  and  he  feels  confident  that  the  display  of 
those  qualities  under  General  Potter  will  hold  the  place  till  the  siege  be 
raised. 

J.  G.  FOSTER, 
Major-  General  Commanding  Eighteenth  Army  Corps. 

The  "Escort"  left  Washington  on  the  morning  of  the  i$th  at 
5.30  A.  M.,  having  on  board  General  Foster  and  his  A.  A.  G., 
Lieut-Col.  Southard  Hoffman,  and  others  of  his  staff.  When  the 
boat  arrived  within  range  of  Rodman's  Point  the  batteries  opened 
upon  her,  and  as  she  approached  the  shore  she  came  under 
heavy  musketry  fire ;  the  boat,  however,  kept  on,  passing  at  last 
the  Hill's  Point  battery;  she  was  struck  by  eighteen  shot  and 
shell ;  her  upper  works  were  literally  riddled  with  bullets  (the 
writer  afterwards  saw  her  at  New  Berne).  The  pilot,  Mr.  Pethe- 
rick,  a  loyal  North  Carolinian,  was  killed  at  his  post  as  the  boat 
passed  Rodman's  Point 

Thursday  morning,  the  i6th,  the  writer  was  detailed  for  guard  at 
the  traverse  upon  turning  out;  this  was  the  critical  tour  of  the 
day,  as  it  included  the  daily  artillery  exercise ;  so  I  kept  a  very 
sharp  lookout  on  Red  Hill  as  the  fog  cleared  away,  and  grew 


WASHINGTON.  185 

more  and  more  anxious ;  time  wore  on,  and  still  "  no  reports." 
After  a  while  a  small  squad  of  men  in  butternut  appeared  on  the 
Jamesville  road,  coming  in  the  direction  of  our  lines ;  after  pass 
ing  out  of  sight  behind  Fort  Washington  they  did  not  reappear; 
but  in  a  short  time  a  column  of  men  in  blue  filed  up  the  same 
road  to  the  cut  in  Red  Hill,  and  then  to  the  right  along  the 
hillside.  A  platoon  was  deployed  as  skirmishers  and  began  to 
move  cautiously  upward  toward  the  Rebel  works.  By  this  time 
all  of  us  were  on  the  line,  watching  anxiously  for  the  smoke  and 
flash  of  a  volley  from  the  works,  but  none  came ;  and  on  coming 
within  fifty  yards  the  skirmish  line  made  a  rush,  and  in  a  moment 
the  yellow  sand  parapet  was  crowded  with  blue-coats,  and  we 
could  hear  their  cheering  as  they  swung  their  caps  in  exultation. 
It  was  Companies  E  and  B,  Twenty-seventh  Massachusetts,  who 
had  been  immediately  sent  out  upon  receipt,  from  the  party  of 
deserters  who  had  just  come  in,  of  the  news  of  the  enemy's  de 
parture.  These  men  reported  that  the  enemy  were  in  bad  condi 
tion.  They  had  been  put  on  shorter  rations  than  ourselves; 
namely,  one  quart  cob  meal  and  one  quarter  of  a  pound  of  bacon 
per  day;  their  artillery  was  all  light  (we  knew  of  one  thirty-two- 
pounder,  and  the  writer  still  has  a  piece  of  shrapnel  from  it). 
They  were  falling  back  up  the  roads  toward  Greenville  and 
Kinston. 

Meanwhile  on  the  New  Berne  road  beyond  the  river  Company 
E's  pickets  had  made  the  same  discovery;  their  historian  says: 

"  While  we  were  on  picket  last  night  we  heard  noises  which  were  un 
accountable,  on  which  a  few  shells  were  thrown  into  the  swamp.  At  four 
o'clock  this  morning  we  heard  the  Rebel  drums  beat  for  roll-call,  at  five 
o'clock  the  bugle  call  for  advance ;  so  we  suppose  the  Rebels  have 
started.  They  came  near  to  the  creek,  but  it  was  so  dark  we  could  not 
make  out  much.  We  saw  a  man  on  a  white  horse  at  the  picket-post,  as  a 
lantern  was  in  a  position  to  throw  a  strong  light  on  him.  To-day  Com 
pany  I's  picket  advanced  to  the  old  earthworks,  where  Hobart,  Leonard, 
and  Lawrence  were  taken,  and  found  everybody  gone  from  that  side  of  the 
river." 

Renshaw  says :  — 

"  Discovering  that  the  guns  had  been  removed  from  Rodman's  Point, 
I  ordered  the  '  Commodore  Hull,'  '  Ceres,'  and  '  Eagle '  to  shell  the 
point  well  before  landing  our  troops.  Acting  third  Assistant-Engineer 


1 86  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

Thos.  Mallahan  of  the  '  Ceres,'  while  attempting  to  land  in  one  of  her  boats, 
was  killed  by  a  musket  ball." 

It  seems  a  small  party  were  still  left  in  the  works,  and  when 
Mr.  Mallahan,  Master's  Mate  Hudson,  and  two  men  attempted  to 
land  and  raise  the  colors  on  the  works,  about  fifty  of  the  enemy 
rose  from  behind  rifle-pits  and  fired  into  the  boat,  with  the  result 
above  stated.  A  small  schooner  with  four  or  five  men  of  the 
Forty-third,  who  had  come  up  the  night  previous  with  ammuni 
tion,  was  running  close  to  the  shore  when  the  enemy  opened  fire, 
wounding  Francis  Tripp  mortally  and  one  other  of  the  Forty- 
third  slightly.  The  gunboats  came  back,  and  at  2  P.  M.  the 
"Eagle"  went  down  again,  running  as  close  to  Point  as  she  could, 
and  sending  shell  into  the  batteries  with  great  precision.  Mr. 
Lay  with  eight  men  of  the  First  North  Carolina,  his  gun's  crew, 
went  ashore,  followed  by  Master's  Mate  Tucker,  with  a  howitzer 
and  five  men,  and  planted  the  colors  on  the  Rebel  works.  Half 
an  hour  later,  three  hundred  of  the  Fifth  Rhode  Island,  under 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Tew,  and  one  gun  of  Third  New  York  Artil 
lery  under  Lieutenant  Mower,  arrived,  and  proceeded  out  on  a 
reconnoissance ;  they  surrounded  four  Rebels,  one  of  whom  was 
killed  in  trying  to  escape,  but  the  other  three  were  captured, 
being  Captain  Parker  of  the  Fiftieth  North  Carolina  Volunteer 
Artillery,  Brigade  Commander,  Drum-Major  Mott,  and  a  private 
of  the  same  regiment.  The  captain  reported  Hill's  force  at 
6,000,  and  3,000  at  the  Cross-roads.  He  said  that  town  would 
be  stormed  again  within  three  days. 

Two  of  their  guns  —  a  twenty-pound  Parrott  and  a  Whit- 
worth  —  were  found  burst ;  and  also  the  following  notice  was 
found  posted  up. 

YANKEES. 

We  leave  you,  not  because  we  cannot  take  Washington,  but  because  it 
is  not  worth  taking ;  and  besides,  the  climate  is  not  agreeable.  A  man 
should  be  amphibious  to  inhabit  it.  We  leave  you  a  few  bursted  'guns, 
some  stray  solid  shot,  and  a  man  and  a  brother  who  was  rescued  from  the 
waves  to  which  some  foray  among  his  equils  consigned  him. 

But  this  tribute  we  pay  you  :  you  have  acted  with  much  gallantry  during 
the  brief  siege.  We  salute  the  pilot  of  the  "  Escort." 

Co.  K,  32d  Regt.  N.  C.  Vols. 
FORT  HILL,  April,  1863. 


WASHINGTON.  1 87 

Renshaw  says :  "  Enemy  burst  four  guns  at  Rodman's,  —  two 
Whitworth  and  two  Parrott,  rifled,  latter  marked  '  Tredegar  Works 
Richmond.' " 

In  the  afternoon  the  following  order  was  received :  — 

HEADQUARTERS,  April  16,  1863. 
Special  Order. 

Colonel  Lee,  commanding  Forty-fourth  Massachusetts,  will  detail  three 
companies  to  proceed  on  board  steamer  "  Eagle "  at  6.30  o'clock  to 
Hill's  Point.  The  men  will  take  three  days'  rations,  blankets,  over 
coats,  etc. 

The  three  companies  will,  with  two  companies  of  the  Forty-third 
Massachusetts,  be  under  command  of  the  major  of  that  regiment. 

By  order  of 

General  POTTER. 
G.  W.  ATWILL,  A.  A.  A.  G. 

In  accordance  with  this  order  Companies  C,  D,  and  I  were 
detailed  under  Major  Dabney,  to  whom  the  command  of  the 
entire  force  was  afterwards  transferred,  and  went  on  board  the 
"  Eagle,"  where  they  slept. 

Next  morning,  the  i/th,  they  landed  in  small  boats  at  Hill's 
Point.  "  Corporal"  says: — 

"  It  was  the  strongest  point  of  the  Rebel  blockade.  Behind  the  earth 
works,  which  were  mostly  erected  at  an  early  day  in  the  Rebellion,  are  a 
plenty  of  bomb-proofs.  .  .  .  Between  the  shore  and  the  woods  is  a  Rebel 
rifle-pit.  This  forenoon  we  skirmished  out  a  mile  or  so,  encountering 
an  old  Rebel  camp,  and  the  one  the  Rebels  have  recently  occupied. 
We  picked  up  one  '  butternut '  gentleman  with  a  carpet-bag  containing  a 
Rebel  uniform,  and  the  picture  of  a  Rebel  officer.  '  Butternut '  said  he 
picked  up  the  carpet-bag  in  the  woods  as  he  was  going  home  from  mill. 
He  said  the  '  Rebs '  were  robbing  the  population  of  their  provisions,  and 
had  nearly  cleaned  him  out." 

The  "  Phoenix "  came  up  this  morning  with  ammunition. 
Captain  Richardson  came  out  in  a  carriage  to-day  to  see  his 
company,  previously  to  leaving  for  New  Berne.  He  was  quite 
advanced  in  convalescence,  and  expected  to  be  again  on  duty 
shortly.  Nothing  was  heard  from  the  enemy  to-day. 

Saturday,  i8th;  the  cavalry  picket  on  our  left  was  fired  upon 
and  wounded  in  the  wrist  this  afternoon ;  a  party  of  Company  E 
with  some  of  Company  B,  Twenty-seventh,  started  out  from 


1 88  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

Blockhouse  No.  I,  but  after  an  hour's  search  found  nothing. 
About  eight  P.  M.  there  was  an  alarm  from  this  blockhouse  and 
we  turned  out.  A  couple  of  shell  were  fired  from  the  howitzer 
there,  after  which  all  was  quiet,  though  we  remained  under  arms 
until  eleven  o'clock.  This  was  our  last  alarm. 

Lieutenant  Commanding  W.  P.  McCann,  of  the  "  Hunchback," 
says : — 

"  Owing  to  buoys  being  removed,  pilots  were  afraid  to  attempt  to  run 
batteries.  Also  we  engaged  Hill's  Point  battery  three  times  without 
silencing  it,  and  on  consultation  with  the  commanding  officers  it  was 
deemed  improper  to  attempt  to  run  the  gunboats  through  to  Rodman's 
until  a  demonstration  was  made  by  the  army  [referring  to  Spinola's 
Expedition]." 

Sunday,  the  iQth,  guns  were  heard  six  or  eight  miles  away, 
across  the  river.  The  advance  of  General  Foster's  column 
arrived  about  noon,  and  he  himself  came  up  the  river  on  the 
"  Escort "  in  the  afternoon.  The  town  now  seemed  full  of  troops  ; 
we  had  little  to  do  for  a  day  or  two  but  to  draw  full  rations,  and 
write  letters  home,  and  laugh  at  the  wild  accounts  which  now 
reached  us  in  the  home  papers  of  the  affair  we  had  just  been 
engaged  in. 

Before  dinner  on  Tuesday,  the  2ist,  we  received  orders  to  be 
ready  to  go  on  board  the  boat  for  New  Berne  at  an  hour's  notice. 

Next  morning  we  were  up  at  four  o'clock,  and  at  half-past  five 
were  on  board  the  steamer  "  Thomas  Collyer  ;  "  cast  off  and  got 
under  way  at  6.17.  We  stopped  at  Hill's  Point  to  take  on  board 
the  detached  companies,  and  at  about  9.45  were  fairly  on  our 
way  to  New  Berne,  which  we  reached  about  midnight  of  the  22d. 

So  ended  the  heaviest  piece  of  service  in  which  the  regiment 
was  engaged ;  for  seventeen  days  we  were  constantly  on  the 
alert,  and  during  all  but  two  days  of  the  time  there  was  no  day 
when  those  stationed  toward  the  right  of  our  line  were  not  under 
fire,  often  for  the  greater  part  of  the  day.  The  cannonading  was 
nearly  continuous. 

The  reports  of  expenditure  of  ammunition  in  the  gunboats  will 
give  some  idea  of  the  service  done  by  the  navy.  Commodore 
Renshaw  reports  for  the  "  Louisiana "  105  8-inch  shells  for 
every  "  up  to  20;  301  32-pound  shells  from  i"  to  20  ";  50  solid 


WASHINGTON.  1 89 

shot  and  25  12-pound  shells.  Captain  MacDearmid  213  shells  of 
all  kinds;  Saltonstall,  of  the  "  Hull,"  331  3O-pound  Parrott  shells 
and  shrapnel;  138  24-pound  howitzer  ditto  and  canister. 

The  regiment  was  especially  favored  in  the  matter  of  casualties, 
the  four  who  were  wounded  in  the  skirmish  of  March  30  making 
up  the  entire  list. 

General  Foster  while  with  us  paid  constant  attention  to  the 
state  of  the  garrison  and  works ;  there  was  seldom  a  day  when  he 
did  not  pass  along  the  line  with  General  Potter,  and  often  one  or 
two  other  staff  officers :  after  returning  to  New  Berne,  he  issued 

the  following  order :  — 

HEADQUARTF.RS  EIGHTEENTH  ARMY  CORPS 

NEW  BERNE,  April  24,  1863. 
General  Order  NJ.  63. 

The  garrison  of  Washington,  N.  C.,  composed  of  the  Twenty-seventh 
Massachusetts  Regiment,  Forty-fourth  Massachusetts  Regiment,  Fifth 
Rhode  Island,  First  North  Carolina  Volunteers,  Company  I  Third  New 
York  Cavalry,  Battery  G  Third  New  York  Artillery,  have  well  merited,  by 
their  steadiness,  courage,  and  endurance,  the  honor  of  inscribing,  and  they 
are  ordered  to  inscribe  on  their  banners  and  guidons,  "  WASHINGTON,  April, 

1863." 

Per  order 

Major-General  J.  G.  FOSTER. 
SOUTHARD  HOFFMAN,  A.  A.  G. 

In  the  history  of  the  Third  New  York  Artillery,  Hall  says  of 
this  defence :  - 

"The  success  of  Foster's  gallant  little  band  of  2,200  \_sic\  in  keeping  at 
bay  a  whole  Rebel  corps  for  twenty  days,  and  notwithstanding  an  aggres 
sive  siege  of  twelve  days,  has  been  justly  regarded  as  unparalleled  in  the  war. 
The  merit  of  the  achievement  is  prominently  and  perhaps  principally  due 

to  Battery  G,  of  the  Third  New  York  Artillery." 

• 

A  comrade  comments  on  this:  "The  gunboats  deserve  a  large 
share,  as  well  as  General  Foster's  personal  presence,  and  our 
band'' 

Captain  Denny,  in  "  Wearing  the  Blue,"  makes  the  following 
remarks :  — 

"  When  it  is  considered  that  the  defence  of  this  line  was  made  against 
fourteen  thousand  Confederate  troops  under  skilled  commanders,  we  do 
not  hesitate  to  say  that  the  defence  against  such  odds  rises  to  the  pitch  of 
heroic  grandeur  equalled  during  the  war  only  by  Mulligan's  glorious  de 
fence  of  Lexington,  Missouri,  in  the  autumn  of  1861." 


1 90  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

During  the  siege  our  comrades  of  companies  F  and  B,  on 
picket  at  Batchelder's  Creek,  listened  daily  with  anxious  hearts 
for  the  sound  of  the  guns  at  Washington.  As  long  as  the  firing 
could  be  heard  they  felt  that  we  still  held  out ;  when  there  was  a 
quiet  day,  or  the  wind  was  unfavorable  for  the  guns  being  heard, 
they  said  sadly  to  themselves,  "  The  boys  are  gone  up ;  "  but 
next  day  the  dull  rumble  of  the  distant  cannon  would  again  reach 
their  ears,  and  they  thought,  "  No,  the  Forty-fourth  is  all  right 
yet."  Great  was  their  anxiety  on  the  night  when  the  Fifth  Rhode 
Island  came  through,  supposing  that  the  heavy  firing  denoted  the 
night  assault  that  all  expected.  They  probably  suffered  as  much 
from  anxiety  as  ourselves,  who  were  present  and  absorbed  in 
what  had  to  be  done  from  day  to  day. 

The  newspaper  reports  of  the  siege  during  its  continuance, 
though  they  seem  to  us  now  funny  enough,  were  of  the  most  dis 
quieting  nature  for  our  friends  at  home,  as  will  appear  from  a 
quotation  from  one  of  the  writer's  letters  from  home  under  date 
of  April  14. 

"  I  thought  to  have  finished  mother's  letter  yesterday ;  but  I  was  quite 
engaged  most  of  the  day,  and  in  truth  did  not  feel  much  like  writing  under 
the  uncertain  prospects  in  regard  to  your  whereabouts,  or  if  ever  it  would 
reach  you.  The  uncertainty  still  remains  ;  the  conflicting  accounts,  even, 
make  it  apparent  that  you  are  in  a  dangerous  position.  But  as  we  can  do 
nothing  but  hope  for  the  best,  I  shall  continue  as  if  this  were  sure  of  find 
ing  you  a.  free  United  States  troop  somewhere." 

In  looking  over  these  old  letters,  a  "  pocket "  of  cuttings  mostly 
from  the  "Transcript,"  and  relating  to  the  siege,  was  "struck;  " 
these  the  writer  proposes  to  quote  verbatim  et  literatim. 

"  New  York  Wi  [April].  The  '  Post '  learns  that  on  the  4th  inst.  General 
Foster  was  at  Little  Washington  with  a  brigade,  a  regiment  of  North  Caro 
lina  troops,  and  some  other  troops,  and  were  virtually  surrounded  by 
rebels,  who  have  erected  batteries  on  Tar  River,  between  Newberne  and 
Little  Washington,  which  the  naval  force  of  wooden  gunboats  are  unable 
to  pass. 

"  It  was  understood  that  a  battle  had  taken  place  between  Foster  and 
the  rebels,  but  nothing  definite  was  known.  Heavy  firing  was  heard, 
lasting  from  Wednesday  night  to  Friday  night,  evidently  from  the  rebel 
batteries. 


WASHINGTON.  IQI 

"  Gen.  Foster's  means  of  defence  are  deemed  ample,  having  a  fort  and 
entrenchments  with  sufficient  ammunition  and  provisions. 

"  Large  reinforcements  are  in  transports  below  the  batteries  unable  to 
reach  Foster  for  want  of  some  naval  force  competent  to  take  them. 

"  The  reported  surrender  of  Gen.  Foster  is  discredited.  It  is  understood 
that  he  is  confident  of  his  ability  to  successfully  withdraw  his  forces,  even 
if  compelled  to  relinquish  the  town  and  Pamlico  River." 

"  New  York  April  9.  Passengers  from  Beaufort,  N.  C.,  state  that  on 
the  5th  the  rebel  pickets  on  the  Trent  road  were  extended  to  a  point  nine 
miles  from  New  Berne. 

"  Affairs  at  Little  Washington  looked  threatening.  Sunday  evening  the 
rebel  Gen.  Hill  was  opposing  Gen.  Foster's  little  band,  and  on  Monday 
afternoon,  rumor  at  New  Berne  said  that  Gen.  Foster  had  surrendered. 
This  is  not  credited,  as  it  was  believed  that  reinforcements  from  Suffolk 
Va.,  had  reached  Washington.  Gen.  Foster's  position  was  strongly  en. 
trenched  by  rifle  pits  and  ditches.  Cannonading  was  heard  at  Newbern 
all  day  Sunday  and  Monday. 

"The  steam  gunboat  Chocura  and  State  of  Georgia  were  coaling  at 
Morehead  City  to  run  the  blockade  of  Pamlico  River,  where  there  was  but 
one  gunboat." 

"  New  York  April  \$th.  The  steamer  Dudley  Buck,  from  Newbern 
9th,  brings  the  report  that  it  was  expected  Gen.  Foster  would  have  to  sur 
render  from  want  of  provisions." 

"  New  York  April  \$th.  A  letter  from  Col.  Sissell,  [query,  Sisson  ?"]  an 
officer  under  Gen.  Foster,  under  date  of  the  9th  inst,  says  the  latter  can 
not  hold  out  more  than  a  day  longer,  being  short  of  provisions  and  com 
pletely  surrounded." 

"  New  York,  April  itf/i.  The  gunboat  Valley  City,  which  passed  the 
rebel  batteries  below  Washington,  N.  C.,  to  Gen.  Foster's  assistance,  was 
struck  by  sixty-three  shot.  Her  subsequent  fate  is  not  known." 

From  other  collections  we  glean  the  following.  From  the 
"  New  York  Express :  " 

"  On  the  aoth  ult.,  Gen.  Foster  with  a  portion  of  Spinola's  and  Prince's 
brigades  comprising  the  Penn.  Regts.  of  Cols.  McKibbin,  Dyer,  Bear,  the 
1 2th  N.  Y.,  isyth  N.  Y.  and  ist  N.  C.  started  for  Little  Washington  on 
the  junction  of  the  Tar  and  Pamlico  rivers,  where  they  entrenched  them 
selves.  In  the  mean  time  the  Rebels  erected  a  very  powerful  battery  on 
Scoon  Pt.,  some  5  miles  below  Washington,  which  commands  the  channel, 
which  at  that  point  is  very  narrow  and  runs  close  in  shore.  .  .  . 

"  Gen.  Magruder  with  5000  rebels  attacked  Foster's  position  from  the 
land  side  and  thus  completely  surrounded  him." 


1 92  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

From  the  "  Journal,"  April  2  :  — 

"  Gen.  Foster  ordered  out  Co.  A,  Capt.  Richardson  and  Co.  D,  Capt. 
Sullivan,  on  a  reconnoissance.  They  went  out  of  the  earthworks  and  while 
out  their  retreat  was  cut  off.  So  Capt.  R.  ordered  the  men  to  cut  their 
way  through,  which  they  did  with  considerable  loss  —  some  1 6  killed  and 
wounded.  Among  them  was  Capt.  R.  who  was  wounded  and  Orderly 
Edmands  who  was  killed." 

A  private  letter  from  a  member  of  the  regiment  dated  April  7  :  "  Re 
port  to-day  is  that  our  Colonel  Lee  was  killed  in  a  charge  on  the  rear  of 
the  rebels'  battery. 

"  Ed.  —  The  report  in  relation  to  Col.  Lee  we  do  not  feel  at  liberty  to 
withhold,  although  it  is  more  than  probable  that  it  is  entirely  unfounded." 

"  One  letter  from  New  Berne  gives  a  rumor  that  8  companies  of  the 
Mass.  44th  at  Little  Washington  had  made  a  sally  and  captured  quite  a 
number  of  rebels." 

This  will  show  the  wild  character  of  many  of  the  reports  which 
found  their  way  to  our  friends  at  home;  others  were  nearer  the 
facts,  but  scarcely  more  encouraging.  Many  incidents  of  the 
siege  were  amusing  enough.  A  comrade  of  Company  D  con 
tributes  the  following:  — 

"  During  the  siege  of  Little  Washington,  before  the  duties  became  so 
arduous  that  we  were  glad  to  obtain  sleep  even  if  in  five-minute  instal 
ments,  a  quartette  from  Company  D  was  one  morning  engaged  in  a  quiet 
game  of  euchre  just  outside  the  company  quarters.  John  Payne  was  sit 
ting  with  his  back  to  the  shanty  which  had  been  erected  as  a  shelter  for 
the  company,  to  avoid  further  trespassing  on  the  kindness  of  the  comrades 
of  Company  B,  Twenty- seventh  Massachusetts,  who  had  been  assigned 
quarters  in  the  blockhouse.  The  boys  had  just  gathered  up  their  cards, 
and  Payne  was  laughing  over  some  joke,  when  a  solid  shot  passed  over 
Fort  Washington,  ploughed  up  the  sand  just  in  front  of  the  quarters, 
almost  buried  the  boys  in  the  shower,  and  then  plunged  into  the  river. 
Payne's  mouth  was  wide  open,  and  he  received  more  than  his  share  of  the 
sand.  As  soon  as  he  could  articulate  he  exclaimed,  '  I  'm  not  hungry, 
Johnny  ;  I  Ve  had  my  breakfast ! '  " 

One  day  during  the  siege  Johnson,  Bedell,  and  Tackney  of 
Company  E,  thinking  that  we  were  deficient  in  artillery,  cast 
about  to  supply  the  want  so  far  as  they  could.  Rummaging  about, 
they  found  an  old  pair  of  wheels  and  some  stove  pipe,  and 
having  mounted  the  funnel  on  the  wheels,  ran  it  up  toward  the 


WASHINGTON.  193 

works.  Some  of  the  Johnnies  had  evidently  been  watching  the 
proceedings  with  a  great  deal  of  interest,  for  just  as  the  boys  had 
got  their  "  piece "  in  position,  puff  went  a  gun  at  the  Widow 
Blunt  place,  and  a  solid  shot  from  the  enemy  struck  uncomfort 
ably  close.  The  boys  concluded  that  an  attempt  was  being  made 
to  dismount  their  new  gun,  and  feeling  that  enough  had  been 
done  for  honor,  and  that  should  the  Rebels  be  successful  no 
great  damage  would  be  done  to  our  armament,  they  retired  to 
the  shelter  of  their  bomb-proof. 

One  of  our  cavalry  pickets,  under  cover  of  a  flag  of  truce, 
entered  into  conversation  with  a  Rebel  officer,  a  lieutenant,  who 
wished  to  know  how  large  a  force  we  had ;  the  man  told  him, 
"Enough  to  take  care  of  all  the  Rebels  in  North  Carolina."  "  I 

should  think  so,"  was  the  reply,  "  for  you  are  a  d d  sight 

longer  winded  than  any  of  us  imagined." 

Our  regimental  band  was  one  morning  stationed  in  the  fort,  in 
a  sheltered  place,  while  the  firing  from  Red  Hill  was  going  on, 
and  played  for  some  time,  chiefly  national  airs;  it  was  remarked 
that  "Dixie"  seemed  to  draw  rather  an  extra  warm  acknowledg 
ment  from  "our  friends  the  enemy."  It  has  since  been  suggested 
that  the  object  of  this  demonstration  was  to  give  the  impression 
that  a  brigade  was  present. 

It  seems  as  if  the  enemy  must  have  been  deceived  as  to  our 
numbers,  for  Garnett  said,  when  ordered  to  assault  upon  the 
I4th  of  April,  that  he  would  "  lose  half  his  men  getting  there, 
and  the  other  half  getting  back."  A  story  to  the  same  effect 
reached  the  writer's  ears  not  long  after  the  siege.  After  the  in 
vestment  was  raised,  it  is  said  Lieutenant  "Teddy"  O'Brien  of 
the  Third  New  York  Cavalry  was  reconnoitring  on  the  south  side 
of  the  river  with  a  small  platoon  of  his  company ;  upon  turning  a 
bend  in  the  road  he  saw,  not  two  hundred  yards  away,  a  squad 
ron  of  Rebel  cavalry  coming  towards  him.  Running  away  seemed 
risky,  so  he  drew  his  sabre,  and  giving  the  order,  "  Battalion, 
charge !  "  rushed  down  upon  them  with  his  sabre  in  air,  as  if  he 
really  had  a  regiment  at  his  back ;  they  were  entirely  taken  in 
by  his  "  cheek,"  and  thinking  it  was  the  advance  guard  only  of  a 
heavy  column,  surrendered  at  once  without  resistance,  and  with 
their  officers  and  colors  fell  captive  to  his  bow  and  spear.  When 

'3 


194 


FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 


the  captain  in  command  was  brought  into  the  town,  upon  looking 
about  him  he  asked  with  great  eagerness,  "  Where  have  you 
hidden  all  your  men?" 

Some  comical  incidents  happened  to  the  men  under  fire.     The 
writer  was  one  morning  detailed  to  wield  the  shovel  amone  a 

£D 

squad  who  were  set  to  heighten  the  traverse.  Being  slight,  and 
not  mighty  in  throwing  sand  higher  than  his  head,  he  with  an 
other  was  put  on  the  top  of  the  traverse  to  pat  down  and  level 


/*&  •  -;./i  i^'hw 


what  was  thrown  up  to  them  ;  it  being  about  the  ordinary  hour 
of  our  morning  salutation  from  Red  Hill,  we  kept  a  wary  eye  on 
the  embrasures  there.  After  a  while  came  the  long-looked-for 
puff  of  white  smoke,  and  with  a  call  of  "Heads  below!"  the 
writer  dropped  his  shovel  in  the  traverse  ditch,  himself  sliding 
down  the  slope  of  the  work  in  its  wake ;  as  his  feet  reached  the 
bottom,  the  shell  screamed  overhead,  and  all  immediately  sought 
shelter  in  the  splinter-proof.  The  fire,  as  usual  upon  opening, 
was  heavy  and  rapid ;  and  just  as  we  were  comfortably  settled 
down  to  await  further  developments,  the  captain,  catching  sight  of 
one  man  without  his  weapon,  immediately  called  to  the  writer, 
"Where's  your  gun  and  equipments?"  "  In  my  tent,  sir."  (T 
had  forgotten  to  bring  them  when  I  went  to  work.)  "Go  and 


WASHINGTON.  195 

get  them."  It  might  have  been  about  thirty  feet  each  way  that 
this  particular  private  of  Company  G  had  to  go,  exposed  to  the 
fire,  and  never  did  any  one  strive  with  more  earnestness  to  make 
himself  as  small  as  possible.  That  journey  took  about  a  week,  and 
if  none  of  the  shells  hit,  every  joke  from  the  rat-hole  did,  as  those 
laughing  boys  sitting  there  in  safety  "  guyed  "  their  comrade  who 
had  to  go  out  in  the  shower. 

Corporal  Powers  and  Private  Brown  of  G  one  day  got  leave  to 
go  to  the  river  to  wash ;  they  improved  the  opportunity  to  wash 
some  of  their  clothes,  waiting,  while  they  dried,  in  rather  primi 
tive  array;  somehow  or  other  they  managed  to  draw  the  fire  of 
one  of  the  batteries  on  the  opposite  bank,  and  became  the  occa 
sion  of  quite  a  little  exchange  of  compliments,  making  themselves 
scarce  in  about  as  dignified  a  manner  as  the  bathers  at  the  well 
did  when  the  Red  Hill  batteries  opened  on  them. 

This  siege  was,  as  has  been  said,  our  most  important  piece  of 
service.  What  we  did  from  day  to  day  seemed  then  to  us  ordi 
nary  enough,  and  the  idea  of  giving  up  the  place  without  a  fight 
entered  into  no  head  within  the  lines.  Most  of  us,  I  think,  were 
therefore  rather  surprised  to  find  ourselves  in  a  manner  made 
heroes  of  on  account  of  it.  As  I  have  heard  it  said  by  one  of 
the  garrison,  "What  would  they  have  had  us  do?" 

The  service  done  by  the  Fifth  Rhode  Island,  however,  served 
to  bind  yet  closer  the  ties  of  comradeship  that  held  the  two 
remaining  regiments  of  Stevenson's  Brigade  together,  as  will 
appear  from  the  following  correspondence  :  — 

CAMP  THOMAS  G.  STEVENSON,  NEW  BERNE,  1863. 
Colonel  HENRY  T.  SISSON,  Commanding  5th  R   I. 

COLONEL,  —  At  a  meeting  of  the  field,  staff,  and  line  officers,  held  at 
Washington,  N.  C.,  on  Tuesday  evening  April  21,  Col.  F.  L.  Lee  presiding, 
the  following  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted  :  — 

Whereas,  During  the  late  siege  of  Washington,  N.  C.,  when  the  town 
had  been  bombarded  and  all  its  communications  cut  off  for  fifteen  days, 
after  several  ineffectual  attempts  had  been  made  to  relieve  the  garrison, 
and  the  enterprise  had  ^een  virtually  pronounced  impracticable,  Colonel 
Sisson  volunteered  the  services  of  his  regiment,  and  succeeded,  against 
every  obstable  and  discouragement,  in  running  the  blockade  with  the 
steamer  "  Escort,"  thus  bringing  to  the  besieged  forces  the  much-needed 
reinforcements,  ammunitions,  and  supplies. 


196 


FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 


Resolved,  That  in  this  achievement  Colonel  Sisson  with  his  brave  regi 
ment  has  performed  one  of  the  most  heroic  acts  of  the  war,  and  that  this 
act,  by  so  disheartening  the  enemy  that  within  two  days  he  was  led  to 
retire,  was  the  immediate  cause  of  the  raising  of  the  siege. 

Resolved,  That  the  members  of  the  Forty-fourth  Massachusetts  feel  that 
thanks  are  peculiarly  due  from  them  to  their  comrades  in  arms  who  so 
generously  volunteered  their  services  and  met  so  great  risks  in  carrying 
succor  to  a  brother  regiment. 

Resolved,  That  as  an  expression  of  their  gratitude  and  admiration,  if 
it  meet  the  wishes  of  the  Fifth  Rhode  Island  Regiment,  a  set  of  colors 
be  presented  to  them,  bearing  a  device  commemorative  of  this  act  of 
gallantry. 

To  which  a  reply  was  returned  as  follows:  - 

CAMP  ANTHONY,  NEW  BERNE,  April  28,  1863. 

COLONEL,  —  I  take  great  pleasure  in  acknowledging  to  you  and  the  offi 
cers  of  your  command  my  sense  of  the  high  honor  which  you  have  done 
us  in  the  very  complimentary  resolutions  which  I  have  just  received. 

Be  assured,  Colonel,  they  are  the  more  acceptable  as  coming  from  a 
body  of  men  whose  character  and  good  opinion  we  respect  so  highly  as 
the  regiment  you  have  the  honor  to  command.  Your  generous  action 
will  tend  not  only  to  cement  more  closely  our  two  brother  regiments, 
but  also  the  sister  States  from  which  we  came,  already  closely  united 
by  a  common  history,  and  by  struggles  and  dangers  in  defence  of  our 
country. 

May  we  be  more  closely  knit  together  in  peace  and  union  under  the 
flag  which  both  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island  have  done  so  much  to 
uphold. 

Accept,  sir,  the  thanks  of  the  Fifth  Rhode  Island  for  your  kind 
sentiments,  and  believe  me, 

With  respect,  very  truly  yours, 

H.  T.  SISSON, 
Colonel  Commanding  Fifth  Rhode  Island  Volunteers. 


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CHAPTER    X. 


PICKET-DUTY   OF   B   AND    F. 


ONDAY,    March    2,    1863,    Com 
panies  B  and  F,  under  the  com 
mand    of    Captain    Storrow    of 
Company   F,  were   taken    three 
miles  up  the  railroad,  upon  open 
cars,  and  relieved  two  companies 
of  the    Fifty-first    Massachu 
setts  on  picket     On  the  6th 
the  battalion    marched  three 
miles    farther  out,   and   went 

into    camp   in  the    pine  woods    near   Batchelder's  Creek,  along 
which  the  outer  pickets  of  New  Berne  were  posted. 

Former  occupants  of  the  post  had  nearly  finished  eight  log 
huts  in  the  thick  woods.  These  were  not  utilized  as  quarters  for 
the  battalion,  but  around  them,  as  a  centre,  smaller  huts  were 
constructed,  roofed  in  by  shelter-tents,  littered  with  straw,  warmed 
by  brick  fireplaces,  and  rendered  homelike  by  conveniences  and 
ornaments  which  the  ingenuity  and  good  taste  of  the  rank  and 
file  improvised.  These  occupied  three  sides,  while  the  wall  tents 
of  the  officers  filled  the  fourth  side.  The  trees,  stumps,  and 
"  pine-trash  "  were  removed  from  the  enclosure,  leaving  a  firm, 
even  camp-ground,  —  fortunately  insoluble  in  rain-water,  and 
never  muddy.  In  the  centre  of  the  camp  was  erected  a  double- 
masted  flag-pole,  topped  with  a  weather-vane,  and  bearing  on  its 
cross-trees  the  legend,  "  Camp  Lee,  occupied  March  6,  1863." 

The  two  companies  remained  in  this  camp  for  two  months, 
enjoying  the  brightest  and  pleasantest  part  of  a  soldier's  life. 
There  was  a  good  deal  of  night  work,  but  not  enough  to  wear 


198  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

the  men  out.  The  open-air  life  in  the  pine  woods  was  so  invigo 
rating  that  there  was  very  little  sickness  in  the  detachment. 
There  was  enough  of  excitement  —  a  sufficient  consciousness  of 
the  proximity  of  the  enemy  —  to  give  a  zest  to  the  routine  of 
duty.  The  detachment  which  occupied  the  post  before  and  after 
the  Forty-fourth,  met  with  serious  losses,  but  during  our  occupa 
tion  not  a  man  of  our  detachment  was  injured  or  captured.  It 
was  a  long  military  picnic.  The  season  of  the  year  was  a  de 
lightful  one.  As  the  spring  advanced,  violets,  anemones,  honey 
suckle,  and  the  fragrant  jessamine  blossomed  thickly  along  the 
lanes  and  roads.  Birds  of  gorgeous  plumage  —  bright  orange  or 
brilliant  scarlet  —  chattered  among  the  young  leaves.  The  woods 
were  full  of  rabbits,  'possums,  and  'coons  (which  the  men  were 
successful  in  trapping),  with  traces  now  and  then  of  a  prowling 
fox.  The  creek  was  full  of  fish,  —  herring,  horn-pout,  "Welsh 
men,"  and  robin  or  red-fin  (bream),  for  which  we  angled  with 
hooks  baited  with  worms  or  soaked  hard-tack.  A  net  was  found 
during  one  of  our  scouting  expeditions,  and  was  strung  across 
the  creek  near  the  lower  picket-post,  who  took  from  its  meshes 
every  morning  a  finny  breakfast.  With  this  plenitude  of  game 
came  a  disagreeable  accompaniment  in  the  profusion  of  snakes, — 
black  snakes  four  or  five  feet  long,  moccasins  as  large  as  a 
child's  arm,  and  "  copperheads  even  more  venomous  than  their 
namesakes  in  the  North." 

The  chief  duty  to  be  performed  was  the  picketing  of  the  line 
of  Batchelder's  Creek.  There  was  one  picket  of  two  "  non- 
coms"  and  twelve  men  at  the  burned  bridge  on  the  right  (Wash 
ington)  road,  and  another  of  three  "  non-coms  "  and  twenty  men 
two  miles  to  the  south,  at  the  left  (or  Neuse)  road,  where  the 
piles  and  stringers  of  the  bridge  were  standing  and  planks  were 
ready  to  lay  if  an  advance  was  desired.  There  were  other  posts 
on  the  flanks  and  rear  of  our  camp,  and  at  night  a  patrol  was 
maintained  around  the  camp  and  down  a  cart-path  that  led  to 
the  wooded  banks  of  the  creek.  These  details  were  quite  as 
much  as  two  companies  could  perform,  and  brought  each  man 
on  duty  about  every  other  day. 

Another  (and  favorite)  duty  was  the  scouting  by  land  and 
water.  When  the  companies  first  occupied  the  picket-posts, 


PICKET-DUTY   OF   B   AND   F.  199 

there  were  no  boats  of  any  kind  to  be  found.  A  vigorous  search 
was  instituted  along  the  banks  of  the  creek,  toward  the  river,  and 
several  canoes  and  flat-boats  were  found  concealed  in  the  dense 
cane-brakes.  These  were  brought  to  the  Washington  road  and 
repaired,  and  every  few  days  a  scouting  party  was  sent  down  the 

creek  and  up  the  river  on  a  reconnois- 
sance.     The  "Rebs"  were  rarely 
seen;    and  the  principal  result 
of  these  expeditions  was  the 
collection     of     a 
number  of  useful 
articles   of  camp 
equipage      from 
the  deserted  huts 
and  houses  along  the 
creek. 

The  scouting  by  land  was 

constantly  followed,  usually  in  small  parties.  Fortunately,  the 
"Rebs"  kept  beyond  Core  Creek  and  the  Neuse  River  most  of 
the  time,  and  our  scouting  parties  met  no  mischances.  Their 
most  exciting  adventure  is  thus  narrated  in  a  letter :  — 

"  Colonel  Jones  having  directed  Captain  Storrow  to  ascertain  whether 
the  Rebels  sent  out  boat  patrols  at  night  from  Street's  Ferry,  an  officer  and 
two  men  were  despatched  at  9  p.  M.  to  scout  on  the  Washington  road. 
Crossing  Batchelder's  Creek  in  a  canoe,  and  leaving  behind  them  our  ad 
vanced  picket-posts,  they  advanced  cautiously  along  the  road  about  three 
miles,  when  they  came  to  the  point  where  it  enters  the  swamp  along  the 
Neuse  River.  A  strong  wind  during  the  day  had  blown  the  water  to  our 
side  of  the  river  and  filled  the  swamp  so  full  that  even  the  road  was  sub 
merged.  The  wind  had  subsided,  leaving  the  water  so  smooth  and  the 
woods  so  quiet  that  the  slightest  sound  could  be  heard  a  mile  away.  The 
Rebel  pickets  were  posted  just  at  the  other  side  of  the  ferry,  and  their 
voices  could  be  plainly  heard  as  they  chatted  around  their  camp-fire.  In 
order  to  observe  their  motions  it  was  necessary  to  get  to  the  river  bank. 
The  first  step  of  the  scouting  party  into  the  water  which  covered  the  road 
attracted  their  attention,  but  with  the  remark,  'It's  only  cattle  in  the 
swamp,'  they  continued  their  conversation.  Moving,  therefore,  with  ex 
treme  caution,  —  noiselessly  pushing  one  foot  after  the  other  without  lifting 
it  from  the  water,  the  scouts  waded  over  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  submerged 
road.  At  the  bank  of  the  river  they  halted,  with  the  Rebel  picket-fire  in 


2OO  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

full  sight  a  short  distance  down  stream,  opposite  the  ferry-landing.  No 
dry  spot  was  to  be  found,  so  the  three  shivering  men  lay  down  in  shallow 
water  among  the  bushes  and  waited  for  denouements.  The  situation  was 
impressive.  The  smooth  river  gleamed  dimly  between  the  dark  and 
swampy  opposite  shore  and  the  dense  shadows  of  the  cypresses  under 
which  they  lay.  The  stillness  of  midnight  was  only  broken  by  the  sounds 
peculiar  to  the  region,  —  which  had  grown  familiar  from  many  nights  of 
picket  duty  on  Batchelder's  Creek,  —  the  tinkling  'chug'  of  the  young 
frogs,  the  trill  of  the  tree-toads,  the  screech  of  the  owl,  the  occasional 
scream  of  a  wildcat,  or  the  frightful  yell  of  the  Carolina  'coon. 

"Thus  they  lay  quietly  in  three  or  four  inches  of  water  for  four  hours. 
Suddenly,  at  three  in  the  morning,  they  were  roused  by  a  stir  on  the  other 
side.  A  fog  had  gathered  over  the  river,  but  a  red  gleam  shining  through 
it  showed  that  the  picket-fire  had  been  replenished,  and  the  sound  of 
many  voices  told  that  the  Rebel  picket  had  been  reinforced.  The  voices 
approached  the  farther  ferry-landing,  there  was  a  sound  of  launching  a 
boat,  of  embarkation,  of  dipping  oars,  and  for  an  anxious  moment  it 
appeared  certain  that  the  Rebels  were  crossing  the  river  to  land  on  our 
side.  To  have  retreated  through  water  knee-deep  would  only  have  been 
to  attract  a  volley,  so  that  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  lie  in  ambush 
and  wait.  Fortunately,  the  boat  turned  down  the  river  and  was  soon  out 
of  hearing.  Noiselessly  and  thankfully  the  little  party  waded  to  dry  land, 
and  returned  to  camp  to  report  that  the  Rebels  did  send  out  a  boat  patrol. 
The  object  of  the  expedition  had  been  accomplished." 

Except  these  scouting  parties,  there  was  not  much  to  vary  the 
monotony  of  camp  life  and  picket-duty.  The  day  of  our  arrival, 
a  lieutenant  and  thirty  men  were  ordered  in  great  haste  to  occupy 
the  camp  of  the  Fifty-eighth  Pennsylvania,  at  the  railroad  bridge 
over  Batchelder's  Creek,  two  miles  beyond  the  Neuse  road, 
while  that  regiment  marched  out  to  surprise  the  Rebel  pickets 
at  Core  Creek.  The  Fifty-eighth  had  spent  their  eighteen 
months  of  service  almost  entirely  on  picket.  Their  commander, 
Colonel  Jones,  was  a  little  old  man,  whose  careless  and  unsol- 
dierly  appearance  belied  his  character,  for  he  was  cool,  brave, 
prompt,  alert,  and  fertile  in  resources.  His  men  idolized  him, 
and  followed  him  into  danger  with  implicit  confidence.  Shortly 
after  we  were  withdrawn  to  New  Berne  he  was  shot  and  instantly 
killed  during  an  attack  on  the  picket-post  on  the  Neuse  road. 
The  only  noteworthy  thing  at  the  camp  of  the  Fifty-eighth  was 
the  "Railroad  Monitor,"-- an  iron-plated  gunboat  on  wheels, 
mounted  with  two  six-pound  Wiard  pivot-guns,  and  kept  always 


PICKET-DUTY   OF   B   AND   F.  2OI 

in  readiness  to  run  up  or  down  the  railroad  wherever  it  might 
be  needed. 

On  Saturday,  March  I4th  (the  anniversary  of  the  capture  of 
New  Berne),  we  were  startled  at  daybreak  by  heavy  firing  in  the 
direction  of  the  town.  While  we  were  wondering  what  it  meant, 
an  orderly  dashed  into  camp  with  the  news  that  New  Berne  had 


been  attacked  from  the  other  side  of  the  river,  and  was  threat 
ened  on  our  side,  and  that  we  were  ordered  to  move  our  whole 
force  to  the  bridge  on  the  Neuse  road.  Forming  hastily,  we 
double-quicked  across  country  by  the  plantation  road  which  our 
picket  reliefs  usually  followed,  and  on  arriving  at  the  bridge  were 
ordered  to  tear  up  its  planks,  and  to  construct  breastworks  to 
command  the  approaches.  The  day  and  night  were  spent  in 
felling  trees  and  in  digging  trenches.  A  letter  thus  describes  the 
scene  at  night :  - 

"  Under  the  serene  starlight,  and  a  faint  glimmer  from  the  old  moon, 
just  rising,  Batchelder's  Creek  lay  tranquil  in  the  deep  shade  of  its  fringe 
of  trees.  The  clay  of  the  road-bed  gleamed  white  along  the  bank.  The 


202  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

skeleton  framework  of  the  dismantled  bridge  ;  the  pier,  barricaded  with 
logs,  on  which  stood  four  motionless  sentinels  with  guns  in  the  hollow  of 
their  arms ;  the  rifle-pits  where  half  the  men  lay  uneasily  on  the  damp 
earth,  while  the  muffled  sound  of  pick  and  spade,  the  occasional  gleam  of 
a  dark-lantern,  and  the  subdued  orders  of  the  officers,  showed  that  the 
other  half  were  busily  at  work ;  the  knowledge  that  the  Rebels  were  in 
force  only  three  miles  away ;  the  expectation  of  an  immediate  attack,  — 
these  things  made  the  night  memorable." 

But,  after  all,  the  enemy  withdrew  without  further  demonstra 
tion,  and  on  Sunday  morning  the  battalion  returned  to  camp, 
only  too  glad  of  a  chance  to  rest. 

Before  leaving  the  bridge,  a  letter  was  received  from  Colonel 
Jones  and  read  to  the  detachment,  thanking  them  for  the  zeal 
and  energy  displayed. 

After  this  threat  of  attack  the  Rebels  were  more  audacious,  and 
frequently  stole  down  on  our  lines  and  tried  to  catch  the  pickets 
napping.  Wednesday,  March  25,  a  sergeant  of  the  Third  New 
York  Cavalry,  while  on  outpost  duty  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  our 
post  at  the  bridge  on  the  Neuse  road,  was  surprised,  captured, 
and  carried  oft".  Captain  Storrow,  who  happened  to  be  at  the 
bridge,  started  at  once  with  twenty  men  in  pursuit,  and  a  party 
was  ordered  out  from  camp  to  a  fork  of  the  roads  near  the  ferry, 
in  the  hope  of  intercepting  the  "  Rebs"  there;  but  they  had  too 
good  a  start,  and  got  away  safely  with  their  prisoner. 

During  the  next  two  weeks  we  heard  frequent  heavy  firing 
from  the  direction  of  "  Little  "  Washington,  and  felt  anxious  for 
the  safety  of  the  other  eight  companies  of  our  regiment. 

Monday,  April  27,  General  Palmer  started  with  two  brigades 
on  the  "  Gum  Swamp  expedition."  Company  F  received  orders, 
just  at  dusk,  to  march  with  overcoats,  rubber  blankets,  and  such 
scant  rations  as  could  be  scraped  together.  Joining  the  Fifty- 
eighth  Pennsylvania  at  the  Neuse  bridge,  they  were  given  the 
place  of  an  absent  company  as  eighth  in  the  regimental  line. 
One  brigade  of  Palmer's  force,  including  the  Forty-fifth  Massa 
chusetts,  advanced  by  the  railroad ;  while  the  other  brigade, 
consisting  of  the  Fifth  and  Twenty-seventh  Massachusetts,  two 
companies  of  the  Forty-sixth  Massachusetts,  the  Fifty-eighth 
Pennsylvania,  Company  F  of  the  Forty-fourth,  and  two  pieces 


PICKET-DUTY   OF   B   AND    F.  203 

of  artillery,  started  up  the  Neuse  road  at  half-past  seven.  The 
weather  was  disagreeably  close  and  muggy,  and  a  hard  rain  set 
in,  so  that  we  were  glad  to  halt  and  bivouac  ten  miles  out,  near 
Core  Creek,  the  enemy's  picket  line.  At  noon  the  next  day 
the  Twenty-seventh  Massachusetts  and  Fifty-eighth  Pennsylvania 
marched  on,  with  nothing  but  arms  and  equipments,  taking  the 
left  fork,  or  Dover  road,  through  the  Dover  (or  Gum)  Swamp. 
After  wading  many  miles  through  water  ankle-deep,  we  came  to 
Sandy  Ridge,  where  a  small  earthwork,  the  remains  of  a  burnt 
camp,  and  the  carcasses  of  dead  horses  marked  the  place  where 
Colonel  Jones  had  surprised  the  "  Rebs "  two  months  before. 
Striking  the  swamp  again,  we  marched  on  with  increasing  dif 
ficulty  till  firing  was  heard  at  the  head  of  the  column,  and  we 
learned  that  a  Rebel  regiment,  marching  down  our  road  to  flank 

o  c> 

the  Forty-fifth  Massachusetts,  which  was  advancing  on  the  rail 
road,  had  been  surprised  to  meet  the  Twenty-seventh  Massachu 
setts,  and  were  retiring  in  disorder.  We  were  double-quicked  in 
the  direction  of  the  firing,  which  was  growing  hotter.  Several 
companies  of  the  Fifty-eighth  were  sent  forward,  and  we  were 
eagerly  awaiting  our  turn;  but  a  combined  charge  on  the  Dover 
road  and  the  railroad  drove  the  "  Rebs  "  from  their  rifle-pits  and 
ended  the  skirmish.  This  was  about  sundown,  and  was  followed 
by  a  retrograde  movement.  It  had  rained  hard  all  day,  and  the 
road  was  in  a  miserable  condition.  The  logs  with  which  it  had 
been  "  corduroyed "  through  the  swamp  were  all  afloat.  The 
swamp  was  one  vast  lake,  and  it  is  not  exaggeration  to  say  that 
we  marched  through  one  puddle  four  miles  long.  Reeking  above 
the  knees  with  perspiration  and  below  them  with  swamp  water, 
our  feet  clogged  with  sand,  and  stumbling  among  the  floating 
logs,  the  men  of  our  detachment,  exhausted  by  continuous  night 
duty  on  picket,  struggled  and  staggered  along  through  the  dark 
ness  and  rain.  Occasionally  a  man  would  fall  out  of  the  ranks, 
but  his  gun  would  be  taken  by  some  friend,  and  he  would  be 
supported  and  led  on  between  hardier  comrades.  For  the  last 
few  miles  most  of  us  felt  at  each  step  as  if  no  power  on  earth 
could  move  us  an  inch  farther.  Our  legs  seemed  powerless. 
We  were  dazed  and  almost  unconscious,  as  if  we  had  been 
drugged.  Those  who  have  stood  similar  trials  know  how  des- 


2O4  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

perately  a  man  clings  to  his  determination  to  hold  out ;  how  he 
mechanically  counts  his  steps,  or  the  trees  as  he  passes  them  ; 
how  he  clenches  his  teeth  and  sings  monotonously  to  himself; 
how  he  fixes  his  eye  on  the  cartridge-box  plate  of  the  man  in 
front,  and  tries  to  shut  out  every  idea  except  that  he  must  keep 
that  in  sight.  Finally  we  reached  camp  thoroughly  and  abso 
lutely  worn  out. 

The  official  reports  of  this  expedition  all  refer  to  the  weather 
and  the  difficulties  of  marching.  Colonel  Jones  says:  "The  road 
runs  principally  through  swamps,  with  an  occasional  oasis  of  dry 
ground,  and,  being  chiefly  covered  with  water  or  very  wet  mud, 
is  heavy  and  difficult."  General  Palmer  reports :  "  At  midnight 
it  commenced  to  rain  very  heavily,  and  continued  until  noon  of 
Tuesday,  the  28th  instant.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  storm  the 
whole  country  seemed  flooded ;  the  roads  were  in  a  horrible 
condition."  And  in  a  despatch  to  New  Berne,  dated  the  morning 
of  April  28,  General  Palmer  states  that  "  The  whole  country 
is  under  water.  One  shower  succeeds  another  very  quickly, 
and  we  are  waiting  patiently  for  a  lull  in  the  storm."  To  this 
despatch  he  adds  a  postscript  which  will  touch  the  hearts  of 
all  old  soldiers  who  read  it,  and  recall  similar  circumstances : 
"  Unofficial  P.  S.  A  ration  of  whiskey  ought  to  be  sent  for  the 
men  if  provisions  are  sent." 

This  was  the  last  notable  event  of  picket  service.  On  Satur 
day,  May  2,  two  companies  of  the  Forty-sixth  Massachusetts 
straggled  into  our  camp,  in  shirt-sleeves  and  straw  hats,  to  relieve 
us,  and  in  the  afternoon  we  bade  adieu  to  "  Camp  Lee,"  and 
returned  to  our  barracks  at  New  Berne.  The  flag  which  had 
flown  from  the  flag-staff  was  inscribed  "  Gum  Swamp,"  and  to 
this  day  graces  the  annual  reunions  of  Company  F. 


CHAPTER   XI. 


PROVOST   DUTY,   VOYAGE   HOME,   AND   MUSTER   OUT. 

N  one  of  our  popular  operas  the  chorus 
sings  with  much  gusto,  and  in  a  man 
ner  that  leads  one  to  think  it  does 
not   believe    in    the    sentiment, — 
"  The    policeman's    life    is    not   a 
happy    one."     Every   member   of 
the  Massachusetts  Forty-fourth  in 
May  and  June,  1863,  would  have 
unhesitatingly  indorsed  the  opinion 
expressed  by  the  operatic  author. 
In  the  spring  of  that  year 
several  of  the  Boston  news 
papers     gravely    announced 
5^.    that   the  Forty-fourth   Regi 
ment  Massachusetts  Volun 
teers  was  doing  police  duty 

in  New  Berne.  Those  who  have  served  in  the  army  will  readily 
appreciate  the  feeling  of  indignation  and  disgust  which  this 
statement  created  among  the  men  of  that  regiment.  This  will 
be  easily  understood  by  others,  when  it  is  explained  that 
"  police  duty "  in  the  army  is  synonymous  with  "  scavenger 
duty"  in  civil  life;  "policing  a  camp"  not  meaning  the  main 
tenance  of  good  order  and  strict  discipline,  as  civilians  would 
naturally  suppose,  but  including  such  disagreeable  and  miscella 
neous  duties  as  sweeping  the  grounds,  emptying  swill,  carrying 
water,  etc.  The  error  was,  however,  a  very  natural  one,  and 
was  founded  on  the  following  order :  — 

HEADQUARTERS  DEPARTMENT  NORTH  CAROLINA,  April  23,  1863. 
Special  Order  No.  117. 

In  accordance  with  the  custom  of  the  department,  the  regiment  now 
doing  provost  duty  will  be  relieved. 


2O6  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

The  commanding  general,  on  changing  the  guard  of  the  town,  desires 
to  convey  to  Colonel  Codman,  and  through  him  to  his  officers  and  men, 
his  high  appreciation  of  the  manner  in  which  the  duties  of  the  guard  have 
been  performed ;  and  he  has  noticed  with  great  pleasure  the  drill,  disci 
pline,  and  general  efficiency  of  the  regiment. 

The  Forty-fourth  Massachusetts  Volunteer  Militia  will  relieve  the  Forty- 
fifth  Massachusetts  Volunteer  Militia  on  Saturday,  25th  inst.,  at  9  A.  M. 
By  command, 

JOHN  G.  FOSTER, 

Major-  General  Commanding  Department. 
SOUTHARD  HOFFMAN,  A.  A.  G. 

On  returning  from  Washington  we  had  all  hoped  we  should 
go  directly  to  our  old  barracks ;  but  finding  these  in  possession 
of  the  Ninth  New  Jersey,  we  were  temporarily  assigned  to  those 
formerly  used  by  the  Tenth  Connecticut,  very  near  the  ones 
we  had  previously  occupied,  only  a  short  distance  farther  from 
the  Neuse  River.  The  few  days  that  intervened  before  we  as 
sumed  our  new  duties  were  spent  by  the  men  in  recovering  from 
the  fatigue  of  the  siege  of  Washington,  in  letter-writing,  mend 
ing  clothes,  etc. 

Early  on  Saturday  morning  the  regiment,  in  full-dress  uniform, 
equipped  in  heavy  marching  order,  was  formed  in  line  and  pro 
ceeded  to  the  city,  where  it  relieved  the  Forty-fifth.  After  the 
usual  exchange  of  salutes,  the  guard  for  the  day,  which  had  been 
detailed  before  we  left  camp,  relieved  the  sentries  of  the  Forty- 
fifth,  and  then  the  rest  of  the  regiment  proceeded  by  companies 
to  the  quarters  in  the  town  to  which  they  had  been  respectively 
assigned.  They  were  the  same  occupied  by  the  different  regi 
ments  which  had  done  provost  duty  previous  to  our  turn.  Each 
company  had  one  or  more  houses  allotted  to  its  use,  and  among 
them  were  some  of  the  pleasantest  residences  in  the  city.  The 
Forty-fifth  had  left  them  in  good  condition,  decorated  them  pret 
tily,  and  many  little  tokens  of  welcome  greeted  our  arrival.  It 
was  a  debatable  question  among  our  boys  —  one  which  we  believe 
was  never  satisfactorily  settled — whether  it  was  more  enjoyable 
to  be  quartered  in  a  large  room  with  from  ten  to  fifteen  compan 
ions,  or  in  a  small  one  with  from  three  to  five. 

The  change  from  camp  life  was  pleasant  in  the  beginning,  but 
it  soon  became  very  monotonous.  There  was  a  freedom  in  the 


PROVOST   DUTY,    VOYAGE   HOME,    AND    MUSTER   OUT.       2O/ 

former,  where  we  were  allowed  to  appear  in  undress  uniform,  —  a 
uniform  which  at  times  was  decidedly  undress,  —  and  do  about  as 
we  pleased  when  off  duty,  compared  with  the  constraint  we  felt 
when  it  was  found  to  be  an  unpardonable  offence  to  appear  on 
the  street  except  in  full-dress  suit,  with  boots  nicely  polished, 
belts  blackened,  and  brasses  brightened.  Provost  duty,  unlike  the 
usual  camp  duty  of  "two  hours  on  and  four  hours  off,"  was  "  four 
hours  on  and  eight  hours  off."  It  was  an  advantage  to  those  who 
were  fortunate  enough  to  be  on  between  8  and  12  P.  M.,  as  they 
could  enjoy  uninterrupted  sleep  till  8  A.  M.  the  following  day; 
but  four  hours  seemed  a  long  time  to  the  poor  sentry  pacing  his 
beat,  and  many  of  the  boys  would  gladly  have  changed  to  the 
old  hours. 

The  duties  of  a  provost  guard  are — to  preserve  order  in  the 
town ;  see  that  no  enlisted  man  passes  unless  provided  with  a 
written  permission  suitably  signed,  indorsed,  and  dated ;  pre 
vent  fast  riding  or  driving  through  the  streets ;  act  as  guards  at 
the  railway  station  and  the  wharves ;  and  to  do  anything  and 
everything  required  of  them  of  a  similar  nature.  Most  of  the 
boys  thought  the  principal  duty  of  a  sentry  was  to  salute  com 
missioned  officers ;  and  it  is  conceded  by  all  who  have  ever  stood 
four  hours  on  a  post  that  this  work  consumed  no  small  part  of 
the  time. 

For  a  few  days  the  novelty  was  pleasing.  There  was  a  great 
deal  of  excitement  compared  with  the  routine  of  a  strictly  camp 
life.  Soldiers  are  in  some  respects  veritable  children,  and  they 
hailed  the  promise  of  a  furlough  for  a  day  in  town  with  as  much 
pleasure  as  would  a  small  schoolboy  that  of  a  day's  holiday.  It 
was  quite  a  common  occurrence  when  some  member  of  another 
regiment  visiting  the  town  was  stopped  by  a  sentry  for  examina 
tion,  to  have  the  latter,  after  reading  the  name  on  the  pass,  and 
finding  it  to  be  familiar,  glance  up,  and  recognizing  the  bearer, 
remark,  "Why,  Tom,  when  did  you  come  to  New  Berne?  Bill 
and  George  and  Charley  are  all  in  our  company,  and  we  are 
quartered  in  Craven  Street.  Go  down  and  see  the  boys.  I  shall 
be  off  duty  to-morro\v,  and  will  try  and  get  over  to  your  camp." 
Such  meetings  were  happening  continually,  and  none  but  those 
who  have  shared  in  them  can  realize  the  pleasure  they  bring. 


208 


FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 


It  was  not  long  before  the  novelty  wore  off,  and  then  provost 
duty  became  drudgery.  As  the  town  covered  quite  an  area,  it 
was  divided  into  three  guard  districts,  and  details  were  assigned 
to  the  first,  second,  or  third,  as  the  case  might  be.  No  record 
has  been  found  showing  the  exact  number  of  sentries  required 
in  each  district.  Corporal  Fitz  of  Company  C  had  a  plan  of 
New  Berne  on  which  the  number  of  each  post  was  marked,  but 


unfortunately  it  has  been  lost  or  destroyed  since  his  return.  As 
nearly  as  can  be  remembered,  there  were  about  fifty  posts  in  the 
first,  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  in  the  second,  and  the  same  number 
in  the  third  district,  making  about  one  hundred  posts  in  all.  There 
being  three  reliefs,  a  detail  of  300  men,  exclusive  of  commis 
sioned  and  non-commissioned  officers,  would  be  required  daily, 
or  a  total  detail  of  about  325  men.  The  nominal  strength  of  the 
regiment  was  at  that  time  about  900;  but  so  many  had  been  per 
manently  or  temporarily  detailed,  and  there  always  being  a  per 
centage  in  hospital  or  excused  by  the  surgeon,  the  effective 


PROVOST  DUTY,  VOYAGE  HOME,  AND  MUSTER  OUT.   2OQ 


strength  was  probably  less  than  650,  obliging  the  privates  to  go 
on  duty  at  least  every  other  day,  and  sometimes  two  days  in  suc 
cession.  Commissioned  and  non-commissioned  officers  fared 
somewhat  better,  but  they  even  were  called  upon  much  oftener 
than  they  wished.1  The  demand  being  so  severe,  drilling  was  to 
a  great  extent  discontinued,  and  the  men  excused  from  every 
thing  but  policing  quarters  and  the  daily  dress  parade. 

May  2,  Companies  B  and  F,  which  had  been  on  picket  duty  at 
Batchelder's  Creek  while  the  regiment  was  at  "  Little  "  Washing 
ton,  rejoined  us  at  New  Berne.  This  made  the  work  somewhat 
easier  for  the  others. 

The  instructions  issued  for  provost  duty  laid  a  great  deal  of 
stress  on  the  importance  and  proper  manner  of  saluting  commis 
sioned  officers. 
Sentries  were 
required  to  car 
ry  their  muskets 
at  "shoulder" 
or  "  support;  " 
but  after  dark, 
when  they  be 
gan  to  chal 
lenge,  were  per 
mitted  to  carry 
shoulder  shift." 
say  that  these 


them     at    "  right 

It   is    needless    to 

instructions  were  implicitly  followed 

—  whenever  the  sentry  thought  that 
he  might  be  observed  by  a  commissioned  officer,  or  by  a  non 
commissioned  officer  on  duty.  They  may  have  done  so  at  other 
times;  but  for  the  credit  of  the  regiment  it  might  be  well  not  to 
investigate  too  closely. 

So  far  as  the  commissioned  officers  were  concerned,  the  change 
was  undoubtedly  agreeable.  In  camp,  drills  and  other  duties 

1  Since  writing  the  above  a  diary  has  been  found  which  gives  the  number  of  men 
detailed  for  guard  on  April  25  as  200,  and  on  April  26  as  102  privates,  10  corporals, 
3  sergeants,  and  3  lieutenants.  If  the  number  of  privates  given  is  correct,  the  effect 
ive  strength  must  have  been  much  less  than  estimated  above,  as  the  privates  were 
certainly  on  duty  almost  every  other  day. 


2IO  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

demanded  a  great  deal  of  their  attention ;  while  now,  except 
when  acting  as  officer  of  the  day  or  officer  of  the  guard,  they 
had  comparatively  little  to  occupy  their  time.  At  any  large 
military  post  there  is  always  a  great  deal  of  social  gayety,  and 
our  officers  undoubtedly  enjoyed  the  opportunities  offered  to 
their  fullest  extent. 

The  weather  during  May  and  June  was  very  warm,  and  to 
those  who  had  never  been  South  before,  the  flies  were  an  intolera 
ble  nuisance.  "  Corporal,"  in  writing  to  the  Boston  "  Herald," 
devotes  a  full  paragraph  to  these  pests :  — 

"  The  fly-statistics  of  your  Port  Royal  correspondent  must  not  lead  your 
readers  to  suppose  that  the  Department  of  "the  South  enjoys  a  monopoly 
of  this  interesting  insect.  I  allude  to  common  house-flies.  Fleas  and 
mosquitoes  do  not  greatly  abound  at  New  Berne,  but  house-flies  swarm 
like  the  locusts  of  Egypt.  The  wood-ticks  of  Hill's  Point,  which  adhered 
to  the  cuticle  with  a  death-grasp,  deserved  a  paragraph,  but  the  house-flies 
of  New  Berne  are  even  a  greater  nuisance.  The  printers  will  not  fail  to 
notice  the  peculiar  manner  in  which  they  have  punctuated  this  sheet  of 
manuscript.  Their  tracks  are  visible  upon  every  object  which  they  can 
touch,  —  upon  our  plates,  dippers,  knives,  forks,  bread.  They  attack  us 
with  desperation  at  meal-times,  and  if  we  have  anything  better  than  usual 
they  are  sure  to  find  it  out,  and  rally  upon  the  sweet  point,  so  that  while 
we  convey  the  food  to  our  mouth  with  one  hand,  we  are  forced  to  fight 
flies  with  the  other.  'Tempus  fugit,'  commences  a  letter  of  your  New 
Berne  correspondent  '  Tiger.'  'Fly-time — very  appropriate,'  parentheti 
cally  remarked  the  free  translator  Frederick,  as  he  read,  and  described 
curves  in  the  air." 

May  24,  Company  F,  Captain  Storrow,  was  detailed  to  accom 
pany  a  lot  of  Rebel  prisoners  to  Fortress  Monroe.  This  was  an 
agreeable  duty  to  the  men  of  that  company,  and  a  very  pleasant 
break  in  the  monotony  of  their  daily  routine. 

During  our  residence  in  the  city  quite  a  small-pox  epidemic 
broke  out  among  the  negroes,  and  among  the  pleasant  duties 
assigned  to  our  regiment  was  that  of  searching  for  those  afflicted 
with  that  disease  and  superintending  their  removal  to  the  small 
pox  hospital,  which  was  situated  just  outside  the  city  limits. 
The  negroes  evinced  great  repugnance  to  being  sent  to  it,  and 
frequently  had  to  be  removed  by  force.  So  far  as  is  known,  none 
of  the  boys  caught  the  disease. 


PROVOST   DUTY,   VOYAGE   HOME,   AND   MUSTER   OUT.       211 

There  were  two  jails  in  town,  one  used  mainly  as  a  place  of 
safe-keeping  for  Rebel  prisoners,  the  other  for  the  detention  of 
those,  soldiers  or  civilians,  who  needed  such  a  place  of  confine 
ment.  We  had  to  furnish  guards  for  these,  in  addition  to  our 
regular  street  patrol. 

There  was  a  marked  difference  in  the  discipline  in  various  regi 
ments,  being  so  slack  in  some  as  to  be  scarcely  worthy  of  that 
name.  The  guard-house  at  Station  One  was  a  very  large  build 
ing,  to  which  was  attached  an  ell  containing  a  single  room  capa 
ble  of  holding  a  great  many  men.  It  was  in  this  room  that  were 
confined  soldiers  who  had  been  found  in  town  without  proper 
permission,  who  had  been  indulging  too  freely  in  "  commissary," 
and  who  were  punished  for  the  infraction  of  some  of  the  minor 
rules  of  the  department.  One  day  an  officer  wearing  the  uni 
form  of  a  colonel  approached  the  non-commissioned  officer  on 
duty  at  this  guard-house  and  asked  if  he  could  tell  where  any 
of  his  regiment  were.  "What  regiment  do  you  command?"  in 
quired  the  "non-com."  "The  th  New  York,"  was  the 

answer.  "  Yes,  sir,"  the  "  non-com."  replied.  "  Where  are 
they?"  interrogated  the  colonel.  "A  few  of  them  are  in  the 
guard-house."  "May  I  see  them?"  "Certainly,  sir,"  was  the 
answer;  and  leading  the  colonel  towards  the  ell  in  the  rear,  al 
lowed  him  the  opportunity  of  looking  through  the  door.  The 
room  was  crowded  almost  to  the  point  of  suffocation,  and  among 

its  inmates  were  very  few  that  did  not  belong  to  the th  New 

York,  commanded  by  the  anxious  colonel.  As  soon  as  he  was 
recognized  by  those  in  confinement  there  was  a  general  cry, 
"  Hullo,  colonel,  let  us  out !  We  want  to  go  back  to  camp." 
The  colonel  considered  a  minute.  "  On  the  whole,  boys,  I  think 
you  will  do  very  well  where  you  are  for  to-night.  I  have  just 
come  from  camp,  and  the  major,  one  lieutenant,  and  five  pri 
vates  are  all  there  are  within  its  limits.  I  want  to  go  off  to-night 
myself;  so  I  think  I  will  go  back  and  furlough  these,  and  then  I 
shall  have  no  one  to  look  after  until  you  are  released  at  guard 
mounting  to-morrow  morning.  Good-by ;  "  and  off  he  went. 
The  boys  passed  the  night  in  the  guard-house,  but  the  little 
sleep  that  any  of  them  succeeded  in  getting  was  not  very 
sound. 


212  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

Shortly  after  our  return  to  New  Berne,  Corporal  Lawrence  of 
Company  C  created  quite  a  sensation  by  marrying  a  resident 
of  that  town.  Those  who  were  fortunate  enough  to  receive 
"  cards "  were  objects  of  envy  to  their  less  favored  comrades. 
Mrs.  Lawrence,  since  her  husband's  death,  has  resided  in  Boston 
with  Corporal  Lawrence's  father. 

One  advantage  we  had  while  on  duty  in  town  was  the  privilege 
of  buying  fresh  eggs,  vegetables,  etc.,  from  boats  which  used  to 
come  in  from  the  country  just  outside  of  the  lines.  Under  what 
regulations  the  trade  was  allowed  we  never  discovered,  but  some 
one  person  in  each  boat  was  provided  with  a  duly  authorized 
permit.  No  sales  were  allowed  until  the  officer  in  charge  had 
made  his  appearance,  and  then  to  no  one  except  commissioned 
officers  or  their  servants.  After  these  had  carefully  selected 
such  portions  of  the  cargoes  as  they  wished,  certain  civilians 
were  allowed  to  make  their  purchases,  and  when  they  were  sat 
isfied,  if  anything  was  left,  private  soldiers  were  at  liberty  to  buy. 
It  was  a  singular  fact,  however,  that  it  almost  invariably  happened 
some  of  the  choicer  articles  had  been  accidentally  mislaid  or 
covered  up,  and  the  fact  was  not  discovered  until  the  sentries  on 
the  wharf  began  trading,  when  they  would  suddenly  be  found ; 
but  it  was  just  as  singular  that  the  discovery  was  never  made 
while  a  commissioned  officer  was  in  sight.  On  the  whole,  the 
boys  fared  very  well. 

During  the  time  we  were  in  town  an  attempt  was  made  to  re 
produce  "  II  Recruitio,"  with  an  additional  act  descriptive  of  our 
adventures  in  Washington.  The  lines  were  all  written  and  the 
parts  assigned ;  but  the  arduous  duty  of  provost  prevented  us 
from  giving  much  time  to  preparation,  and  the  design  was  finally 
relinquished. 

Our  band  seemed  to  be  thoroughly  appreciated  by  our  general 
and  staff  officers.  Daily  at  guard  mounting  and  dress  parade  it 
made  its  appearance  with  the  regiment,  but  at  other  times  it  was 
fully  occupied  at  so.me  of  the  various  headquarters  in  the  town. 
The  players  probably  enjoyed  it,  although  they  were  not  always 
allowed  to  retire  at  taps.  William  F.  Ingraham,  who  was  the  first 
leader,  died  in  January,  and  in  May  his  brother,  A.  W.  Ingraham, 
a  noted  bugle-player,  came  out  to  go  home  with  us.  On  May  19 


PROVOST   DUTY,   VOYAGE   HOME,   AND   MUSTER   OUT.       213 

an  order  was  issued  defining  the  duties  of  those  sharing  the  man 
agement  of  the  band.  Babcock  was  to  direct  rehearsals,  arrange 
programmes,  conduct  the  band  on  all  parades,  etc.,  and  select  the 
music.  Ingraham  was  to  perform  the  duties  of  leader,  and  fix 
the  hours  and  length  of  practice.  Corporal  Hovey  was  to  act  as 
business  manager.  In  the  concluding  paragraph  of  this  order  the 
colonel  complimented  the  band  highly,  and  expressed  the  hope 
that  it  would  do  credit  to  itself  and  the  regiment  when  it  reached 
Boston.  We  are  glad  to  say  that  this  hope  was  realized.  Late 
in  the  winter  and  early  in  the  spring  of  1863  Mr.  P.  S.  Gilmore 
had  given  a  series  of  concerts  for  the  benefit  of  the  Massachusetts 
regiments  in  the  Department  of  North  Carolina.  Among  the 
list  of  subscribers  were  some  of  the  most  influential  and  best- 
known  merchants  of  Boston.  The  different  military  associations, 
such  as  the  New  England  Guards  Association,  Tigers,  Cadets, 
and  Lancers,  took  a  warm  interest  in  the  success  of  the  enterprise. 
Hallett  &'Cumston  contributed  a  grand  piano,  which  yielded  the 
handsome  sum  of  $1,691.  The  total  receipts  were  $5,772.65; 
and  on  May  18  an  order  was  read  at  dress  parade  thanking  Mr. 
Gilmore,  and  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  $500,  —  our  share  of 
the  net  proceeds. 

As  the  term  of  our  enlistment  drew  near  its  close,  the  boys 
began  to  count  the  remaining  days  as  anxiously  as  do  boys  of  a 
younger  age  the  hours  before  vacation  begins.  Many  were  the 
rumors  rife  in  barracks  ;  and  no  matter  how  improbable  one  might 
be,  there  were  always  some  who  believed  it.  At  last  the  following 
welcome  order  was  read  on  dress  parade :  — 

HEADQUARTERS  EIGHTEENTH  ARMY  CORPS, 

NEW  BERNE,  N.  C.,  June  4,  1863. 
Special  Order  No,  159. 

2.  It  is  hereby  ordered  that  the  Forty-fourth  Regiment  Massachusetts 
Volunteer  Militia  be  relieved  by  the  Twenty-seventh  Regiment  Massachu 
setts  Volunteers,  as  provost  guard  of  this  town,  on  Saturday  morning  next, 
June  6,  at  6  o'clock. 

By  command  of  Major-General  JOHN  G.  FOSTER. 

S.  HOFFMAN,  A.  A.  G. 
HEADQUARTERS  SECOND  BRIGADE. 

[Official.] 

E.  C.  JOHNSON,  Adjutant. 


214  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

Although  we  did  not  regret  that  the  term  of  service  was  so 
near  its  close,  there  had  been,  after  all,  a  great  many  pleasant  cir 
cumstances  connected  with  our  enlistment,  and  we  had  actually 
enjoyed  this  brief  service  in  the  employment  of  Uncle  Sam.  We 
had  a  great  many  friends  in  the  other  regiments,  and  a  large  part 
of  our  leisure  during  the  days  that  intervened  between  the 
reading  of  this  order  and  our  departure  was  spent  in  bidding 
good-by  to  these  acquaintances. 

The  night  before  our  departure  General  Foster  gave  a  recep 
tion  to  the  officers  of  our  regiment.  As  the  writer  of  this  chapter 
was  not  fortunate  enough  to  hold  a  commission,  he  cannot  speak 
from  personal  knowledge  of  the  proceedings,  but  he  is  assured  by 
all  who  attended  that  they  had  a  most  delightful  time.  The  rank 
and  file  were  also  determined  to  enjoy  themselves,  and  various 
were  the  schemes  adopted  by  the  boys.  Although  as  a  general 
rule  but  very  little  "  commissary  "  was  to  be  found  in  our  camp, 
that  night  was  an  exception,  and  there  were  not  many,  except 
those  who  were  consistent  total-abstainers,  who  did  not  drink  at 
least  one  toast  to  the  friends  they  were  to  leave  behind  and  to  a 
safe  passage  home.  Notwithstanding  this,  there  was  no  unseemly 
conduct,  so  far  as  known,  on  the  part  of  any  of  the  men.  They 
were  simply  enthusiastically  jolly.  One  of  the  boys,  feeling  his 
clothing  too  oppressive,  and  having  no  fear  of  being  called  upon 
to  receive  visitors,  appeared  in  his  quarters  in  a  state  of  nature, 
but  fully  equipped  with  belt,  cartridge-box,  and  knapsack,  carry 
ing  a  piece  of  old  stove-pipe  on  his  shoulder.  While  engaged 
in  this  amusement  his  captain  suddenly  came  on  the  scene,  and 
with  a  good  deal  of  indignation  in  voice  and  manner,  inquired 
what  he  meant  by  appearing  in  such  a  condition.  "  I  am  a 
heavy  artillery-man  in  light  marching  order,"  was  the  ready 
reply.  The  captain  quietly  remarked  that  he  was  unaware  that 
the  man  had  been  transferred  from  the  infantry,  and  advised 
him  to  return  to  his  own  room  and  resume  the  regulation 
uniform.  It  is  needless  to  add  that  the  captain's  advice  was 
promptly  followed. 

An  excellent  locality  on  Broad  Street  was  assigned  for  our 
dress  parades,  and  the  last  one  held  by  us  in  New  Berne  we 
think  would  have  done  credit  to  any  regiment  in  the  service. 


PROVOST  DUTY,  VOYAGE  HOME,  AND  MUSTER  OUT.   215 

Each   man  tried  to  do  his  best.     At  this  parade  the  following 
order  was  read  :  — 

HEADQUARTERS  EIGHTEENTH  ARMY  CORPS, 

NEW  BERNE,  N.  C.,  June  5,  1863. 
Special  Order  No.  160. 

1 7.  The  commanding  general,  on  bidding  farewell  to  the  Forty-fourth 
Regiment  Massachusetts  Volunteer  Militia,  conveys  to  them  his  high  appre 
ciation  of  and  thanks  for  their  services  while  in  this  department. 

As  a  part  of  the  garrison  of  Washington,  and  in  the  various  duties 
to  which  they  have  been  assigned,  they  have  always  done  their  duty  as 
soldiers. 

The  commanding  general,  in  parting,  expresses  his  hopes  to  officers  and 
men  that  he  may  have  the  pleasure  of  welcoming  their  return  here,  and 
tenders  them,  one  and  all,  his  best  and  kindest  wishes  for  their  future. 

By  command  of 

Major-General  J.  G.  FOSTER. 
S.  HOFFMAN,  A.  A.  G. 

General  Wessells,  an  old  regular  army  officer,  and  a  strict  dis 
ciplinarian,  to  whose  division  we  had  been  assigned,  also  took 
occasion  to  issue  the  following :  — 

HEADQUARTERS  FOURTH  DIVISION,  EIGHTEENTH  ARMY  CORPS, 

PLYMOUTH,  N.  C.,  June  10,  1863. 
General  Order  No.  7. 

III.  Having  learned  that  the  Forty-fourth  Massachusetts  Volunteer 
Militia  is  about  to  leave  the  department,  its  term  of  service  being  ful 
filled,  the  brigadier-general  commanding  the  division  cannot  allow  the 
occasion  to  pass  without  expressing  his  sincere  regret  at  thus  losing  one 
of  its  brightest  ornaments. 

The  gentlemanly  deportment  and  soldierly  bearing  of  all  grades  have 
rendered  his  intercourse  with  the  regiment,  both  socially  and  officially, 
peculiarly  agreeable ;  and  in  changing  the  rough  duties  of  camp  for  the 
peaceful  pursuits  of  civil  life,  the  commanding  general  desires  them  a  safe 
return  to  the  green  hills  of  New  England,  with  his  best  wishes  for  their 
future  happiness  and  prosperity. 

By  command  of 

Brigadier-General  H.  W.  WESSELLS. 

ANDREW  STEWART,  A.  A.  G. 

HEADQUARTERS  FORTY-FOURTH  REGIMENT,  June  18,  1863. 
[Official.] 

E.  C.  JOHNSON,  Lieutenant  and  Adjutant  Forty-fourth  M.  V.  M. 

We  landed  at  New  Berne  in  a  rain-storm  and  we  left  there  in 
a  rain-storm,  although  the  last  was  not  as  heavy  as  the  first. 


2l6  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  June  5  our  regimental  line  was  formed 
for  the  last  time  in  North  Carolina;  and,  escorted  by  the  Third 
Massachusetts,  Colonel  Richmond,  one  of  the  regiments  which 
accompanied  us  to  that  State,  we  took  our  line  of  march  for  the 
depot.  There  we  embarked  on  platform  cars  and  started  for 
Morehead  City.  Colonel  Holbrook  of  the  Forty-third  had  in 
tended  to  have  his  regiment  form  part  of  our  escort,  but  the 
shower  interfered  with  the  programme.  Soon  after  starting,  the 
rain  ceased  and  we  had  a  very  pleasant  trip  to  Morehead  City. 
By  noon  the  regiment  was  on  board  of  the  steamers  and  ready  to 
proceed  on  its  homeward  way.  The  right  wing,  Companies  A, 
G,  H,  K,  and  E,  were  on  the  "  Guide,"  accompanied  by  the 
colonel,  lieutenant-colonel,  major,  the  regimental  band,  the  sur 
geon,  and  the  sick.  Colonel  Sisson  and  other  officers  of  the 
Fifth  Rhode  Island  took  passage  on  this  steamer.  The  left  wing 
was  on  the  "  George  Peabody,"  and  included  Companies  F,  B,  D, 
C,  and  I,  under  command  of  Captain  Storrow.  Quite  a  number 
of  men  from  other  regiments,  who  had  been  granted  veteran  fur 
loughs  on  account  of  re-enlistment,  were  on  this  steamer.  The 
passage  was  very  pleasant,  although  on  the  first  night  out  we 
had  a  heavy  wind  and  sea.  There  was  the  usual  amount  of  sea 
sickness  ;  but  the  sufferers  invariably  called  it  by  some  other  name, 
and  were  very  indignant  if  accused  of  succumbing  to  "Father 
Neptune's  curse."  As  Mark  Twain  afterwards  graphically  de 
scribed  it,  they  had  the  "  Oh,  my !  "  badly.  During  the  Qth 
of  June  we  ran  along  the  eastern  shore  of  Cape  Cod,  and  just 
before  sunset  dropped  anchor  in  Boston  Harbor.  In  passing 
Fort  Warren  the  entire  garrison  turned  out,  the  band  at  the  Fort 
played  "  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  and  we  continued  to  exchange 
cheers  while  within  hearing  of  each  other.  It  was  a  beautiful 
evening,  and  how  glad  we  were  to  reach  dear  old  Boston,  all  our 
boys  can  bear  witness.  The  dome  of  the  State  House  loomed 
up  in  the  evening  light,  and  the  sound  of  the  nine-o'clock  bells 
which  reached  us,  mellowed  by  the  distance,  gave  a  home 
feeling  that  none  of  our  men  had  known  for  nine  long  months. 
The  "  Guide  "  had  not  arrived,  so  we  remained  at  anchor  off  Fort 
Independence  till  morning. 

Just  before  dark  a  tug  came  down  from  the  city  and  hauled 


PROVOST   DUTY,   VOYAGE   HOME,   AND   MUSTER   OUT. 

alongside  the  "  George  Peabody."  Perhaps  our  officers  can  say 
what  news  its  passengers  brought;  but  the  "  being  in  command," 
who  wore  the  shoulder-straps  of  a  brigadier-general,  evidently 
considered  privates  beneath  his  notice.  As  might  have  been 
expected,  the  ubiquitous  representative  of  the  press  was  on 
board  and  made  "  Corporal "  the  recipient  of  a  bottle  of  choice 
whiskey.  Another  corporal,  as  chief  of  his  squad,  had  the  cus 
tody  of  several  lemons  ;  and  so  the  two  corporals  combined  forces 
and  the  result  was  a  toothsome  compound,  in  which  several  of 
us  drank  the  health  of  "  dear  old  Boston,"  and  then  retired  to 
the  softest  spots  we  could  find,  "  Corporal "  stretching  himself 
on  a  huge  chest,  about  amidships  on  the  main  deck,  and  the 
others  bunking  within  supporting  distance. 

As  soon  as  it  was  known  that  we  were  homeward  bound,  it  was 
proposed  by  the  Reserve  of  the  New  England  Guard  and  others 
of  our  friends  to  give  the  regiment  a  reception.  A  meeting  was 
called  to  make  the  necessary  arrangements,  and  after  some  dis 
cussion,  the  date  of  our  arrival  being  uncertain,  it  adjourned  sub 
ject  to  the  call  of  the  committee.1  When  the  "  George  Peabody  " 
was  reported  in  the  harbor,  all  who  were  to  participate  were  noti 
fied  as  rapidly  as  possible.  The  "  Guide  "  arrived  during  the 
night  and  steamed  directly  up  to  Central  Wharf,  where  the  men 
immediately  disembarked.  The  "  George  Peabody  "  followed  as 
soon  as  possible.  Before  we  had  made  fast,  Captain  Jake  Lom 
bard  of  Company  C,  who  had  resigned  from  ill  health,  and 
Charley  Ewer  of  Company  D,  who  had  been  discharged  in  con 
sequence  of  severe  wounds  received  at  Whitehall,  came  on  board 
of  the  vessel,  and  we  were  as  glad  to  meet  them  as  they  were 
to  meet  us.  On  the  wharf  were  many  of  the  friends  we  had  left 
behind  nine  months  before,  and  pleasant  the  greetings  and  many 
the  questions  asked  and  answered.  Messrs.  Whall  and  Dyer,  who 
had  sons  in  Company  E,  and  who  probably  had  been  informed 
from  some  source  that  almost  any  change  of  diet  from  that  of 
"  salt  horse  and  hard-tack  "  would  be  agreeable,  furnished  a  nice 
collation,  which  it  is  needless  to  say  the  boys  appreciated.  Some 

1  The  committee  of  arrangements  consisted  of  Messrs.  J.  M.  Cumston,  J.  C.  Bur- 
rage,  J.  G.  Lombard,  W.  H.  Odiorne,  and  W.  H.  Baldwin.  Colonel  Francis  Boyd 
was  chief  marshal.  Another  authority  gives  General  Tyler  as  chairman. 


21  8  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

received  brief  furloughs ;  and  one  squad,  on  invitation  of  the  father 
of  Corporal  Gardner  of  Company  D,  who  felt  as  keen  and  warm 
an  interest  in  the  regiment  as  if  all  the  members  had  been  his 
children,  partook  of  a  sumptuous  breakfast  at  Parker's. 

Our  escort  reached  the  wharf  shortly  after  10  A.  M.  Major  J. 
Putnam  Bradlee  was  in  command.  The  New  England  Guard 
Reserve  turned  out  with  93  guns ;  the  Massachusetts  Rifle  Club, 
Captain  Moore,  114  guns;  the  Battalion  of  National  Guards, 
Major  C.  VV.  Stevens,  102  guns  ;  and  the  Roxbury  Reserve  Guard, 
Captain  Wyman,  80  guns.  Gilmore's  and  the  Brigade  bands  fur 
nished  music.  Our  regiment  fell  in  and  formed  promptly,  the  usual 
salutes  were  exchanged,  and  in  charge  of  our  escort  we  started  for 
Boston  Common.  The  number  of  spectators  on  State  Street  was 
immense ;  we  had  intended  to  march  up  that  street  company  front, 
but  the  crowd  was  so  dense  that  we  had  to  form  by  column  of 
platoons,  and  even  then,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  the  guides,  it 
was  impossible  to  keep  a  perfect  alignment.  The  right  guide  of 
the  second  platoon  of  Company  D  we  know  had  actually  to 
fight  his  way  through,  and  probably  most  of  the  other  guides 
had  a  similar  experience.  Old  Dan  Simpson  and  Si  Smith,  the 
veteran  drummer  and  fifer  of  the  Guards,  marched  at  the  head 
of  column,  and  our  band  received  many  encomiums  from  the 
spectators. 

On  reaching  the  Common,  the  regiment  wheeled  by  company 
into  line,  the  right  resting  on  the  Beacon  Street  MaLj,nvhen  Mayor 
Lincoln,  accompanied  by  Colonel  Kurtz,  Chief  of  Police,1  chair 
man  of  the  committee  of  arrangements,  took  position  in  front, 
and  in  behalf  of  the  city  of  Boston  welcomed  the  regiment  home. 
In  concluding  his  remarks  he  returned  thanks  to  Colonel  Sisson 
and  the  Fifth  Rhode  Island  for  their  gallant  action  in  running  the 
blockade  at  Washington.  Colonel  Lee  responded,  the  regiment 
wheeled  into  column  of  companies,  stacked  arms,  and  broke  ranks. 
During  the  speaking  the  boys  had  been  wistfully  eying  their  "  sis 
ters  and  their  cousins  and  their  aunts,"  as  well  as  many  others  of 
the  gentler  sex  who  were  not  related  by  such  ties  of  consanguin 
ity  ;  although  some  of  them  frankly  acknowledged  afterward  that 
their  thoughts  had  been  directed  to  a  row  of  ten  tables  —  one 
1  Another  authority  says  "  accompanied  by  General  Tyler." 


PROVOST   DUTY,   VOYAGE   HOME,   AND   MUSTER   OUT.        2IQ 

opposite  each  company  —  in  the  rear  of  the  ladies.  As  soon  as 
the  order  to  break  ranks  was  given  the  greetings  indulged  in 
on  the  wharf  were  repeated  on  a  larger  and  more  demonstrative 
scale.  We  were  the  "  heroes  of  the  day,"  and  probably  there 
was  not  a  member  of  the  regiment  who  did  not  enjoy  the  distinc 
tion.  It  is  said  that  the  collation  was  choice  and  bountiful,  —  it 
must  have  been,  as  it  was  provided  by  J.  B.  Smith,  —  but  the 
writer  has  thus  far  been  unable  to  find  even  one  man  who  could 
speak  from  experience.  Each  acknowledges  that  he  got  a  mouth 
ful  or  so,  but  claims  that  he  was  so  busy  in  shaking  hands  with 
this  one,  answering  earnest  questions  from  that,  replying  to  sin 
cere  congratulations  of  the  other,  that  he  found  no  time  to  inspect 
the  tables  or  sample  carefully  what  they  bore. 

After  an  hour  or  so  the  regiment  was  called  to  attention  and 
then  furloughed  to  the  following  Monday,  June  15,  at  sunset;  at 
which  time  the  members  were  ordered  to  report  at  the  old  camp 
at  Readville. 

The  day  following  our  arrival  home,  Colonel  Lee  received  a 
letter  from  Lieutenant-Colonel  A.  G.  Browne,  Jr.,  the  military 
secretary  of  Governor  Andrew,  written  in  obedience  to  a  request 
from  the  Governor  (who  at  that  time  was  in  New  York  City), 
that  the  Forty-fourth  be  given  an  official  welcome.  He  quotes 
from  Governor  Andrew's  letter  of  instructions :  "  I  beg  that  you 
will  cause  a  proper  expression  to  be  officially  made  to  Colonel 
Frank  Lee  and  the  Forty-fourth  Massachusetts,  announced  by 
telegraph  this  morning  to  be  now  in  Boston  Harbor,  of  my  in 
terest  in  this  fine  and  most  exemplary  corps  and  its  commander. 
It  will  meet  a  splendid  popular  reception."  In  Colonel  Browne's 
letter  he  refers  to  the  fact  that  General  Foster  requests  our  arms 
and  equipments  to  be  returned  at  the  earliest  possible  moment, 
so  they  could  be  used  in  arming  General  Wilde's  brigade  of 
colored  troops  which  he  was  then  recruiting  in  North  Carolina. 

Company  B  was  the  only  distinctively  local  company  in  the 
regiment,  all  its  members,  with  but  two  or  three  exceptions, 
having  enlisted  from  Newton.  Shortly  after  the  muster  out  of 
the  regiment  the  citizens  of  that  town  gave  Company  B  a  recep 
tion  at  Newton  Corner.  The  stores  were  closed  and  the  schools 
dismissed.  William  O.  Edmands  was  chief  marshal  and  Hon.  J. 


22O  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

Wiley  Edmands  presided.  Several  appropriate  speeches  were 
made,  and  the  exercises  concluded  with  a  banquet  in  Elliot 
Hall. 

On  June  15,  pursuant  to  orders,  the  regiment  assembled  at 
Readville.  Much  to  our  disappointment  we  were  not  permitted 
to  occupy  our  old  barracks,  as  they  were  in  possession  of  the 
Fifty-fifth,  but  were  quartered  on  the  other  side  of  the  road,  far 
ther  east,  where  the  Forty-third  and  Forty-fifth  had  been  located 
during  our  first  residence  in  that  town.  On  the  i6th  we  went 
into  Boston  and  performed  escort  duty  for  the  Third  Regiment, 
which  had  performed  like  duty  for  us  on  our  departure  from  New 
Berne. 

The  morning  after  we  reached  camp,  Special  Order  No.  71  was 
received,  as  follows :  — 

HEADQUARTERS,  CAMP  MEIGS, 

READVILLE,  June  15,  1863. 
Special  Order  No.  71. 

Copy  of  Genera]  Order  No.  17  from  these  headquarters  is  herewith 
transmitted  to  Colonel  F.  L.  Lee,  commanding  Forty-fourth  Massachu 
setts,  who  will  govern  himself  accordingly. 

R.  A.  PEIRCE,  Brigadier- General. 

The  order  to  which  this  referred  was  the  following :  — 

HEADQUARTERS,  CAMP  MEIGS, 

READVILLE,  June  10,  1863. 
General  Order  No.  17. 

On  and  after  June  10  the  following  will  be  the  daily  duty  throughout  the 
entire  camp  :  — 

1.  Reveille.     Roll-call :     .  5  a.  m. 

2.  First  sergeant's  call.     Report  to  adjutant .     .  5.30  a.  m. 

3.  Breakfast 6.30  a.  m. 

4.  Surgeon's  call 7.30  a.  m. 

5.  Guard-mounting 8  a.  m. 

6.  Drills 9  to  12  a.  m. 

7.  Dinner 12  m. 

8.  First  sergeant's  call.     Report  to  adjutant .     .  i  p.  m. 

9.  Drills 1.30  to  4  p.  m. 

10.  Dress  parade 5  p.  m. 

u.  Supper 6  p.  m. 

12.  Retreat  and  roll-call Sunset. 

13.  Tattoo 8.30  p.  m. 

14.  Taps 9  p.  m. 


PROVOST  DUTY,  VOYAGE  HOME,  AND  MUSTER  OUT.   221 

Regimental  adjutants  will  make  their  returns  to  these  headquarters  at 
7.30  A.  M.  each  day.  There  will  be  three  stated  roll-calls  daily,  attended 
by  at  least  one  commissioned  officer  to  each  company ;  namely,  at  reveille, 
retreat,  and  tattoo.  Lights  will  be  extinguished  at  taps  in  the  quarters  of 
enlisted  men.  Length  of  drills  at  the  discretion  of  the  different  com 
manders.1  One  copy  of  this  order  will  be  placed  in  each  barrack. 

By  command  of 

R.  A.  PEIRCE,  Brigadier-General. 
Lieutenant  H.  HOLT,  Post  Adjutant. 

The  men,  who  had  naturally  been  talking  over  the  matter  of 
their  muster  out,  generally  understood  that  their  term  of  service 
having  expired,  the  only  duties  that  could  be  demanded  of  them, 
as  they  were  not  in  the  presence  of  an  enemy,  —  when,  of  course, 
none  would  have  thought  for  an  instant  of  taking  advantage  of 
any  technicality,  —  were  that  of  policing  and  guarding  the  camp. 
We  were  proud  of  our  proficiency  in  drill,  we  were  most  anxious 
to  be  given  an  opportunity  to  show  the  results  of  our  nine  months' 
experience  and  instruction,  and  we  had  all  indulged  in  pleasant 
dreams  of  the  astonishment  we  would  create  by  our  steadiness  in 
the  Manual  and  battalion  movements  when  given  an  opportunity 
for  an  hour  or  two  each  afternoon  to  exhibit  on  the  plains  of 
Readville.  But  when  we  found  that  the  above  order  was  to  be 
enforced  literally,  that  we  were  expected  to  attend  "  squad  drill," 
and  were  to  be  treated  in  all  respects  like  "  raw  recruits,"  we 
were  very  indignant;  but  the  discipline  to  which  we  had  been 
subjected  for  the  previous  nine  months  was  not  without  its  effect 
and  the  opposition  was  passive  rather  than  active.  Our  officers 
were  no  more  in  sympathy  with  this  order  than  the  men,  but 
their  position  made  them  more  circumspect  in  expressing  it. 
We  may  have  done  the  commandant  of  the  camp  injustice,  but 
he  was  not  popular  with  the  regiment  when  we  were  here  the 
previous  fall,  —  a  fact  which  he  himself  fully  recognized  at  the 
time;  and  now  that  we  were  enduring  the  restlessness  engen 
dered  by  the  nearness  of  our  muster  out,  the  anxiety  to  be  again 

1  No  copy  of  the  order  as  actually  posted  in  the  barracks  has  been  found ;  but 
according  to  the  recollection  of  all  who  have  been  consulted,  this  sentence,  owing 
probably  to  an  omission  in  copying,  was  not  contained  in  the  order  as  it  reached  us, 
and  the  first  drills  were  specified  as  "  squad."  The  order  having  caused  some  dis 
cussion  at  the  time  and  since,  is  here  given  in  full. 


222 


FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 


free  from  the  restraints  of  army  rule,  and  the  natural  reaction 
from  the  strict  discipline  under  which  we  had  been  kept,  we 
were  probably  incapable  of  judging  calmly  or  dispassionately. 
Colonel  Lee  was  absent  from  camp  at  the  time  the  order  was 
posted.  On  his  return  he  had  the  obnoxious  features  modified. 

Thursday,  June  18,  we  were  mustered  out  of  the  service  of  the 
United  States. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


NORTH   CAROLINA   REVISITED. 


'N  January,  1884,  Colonel  C. 
G.  Attvvood,  formerly  of 
the  Twenty-fifth  Massachu 
setts,  issued  a  circular  in 
viting  all  who  had  served 
in  North  Carolina  to  join 
a  party  on  a  trip  to  the  old 
North  State.  Like  many 
others,  I  had  always  in 
tended  to  revisit  the  places 
connected  with  the  history 
of  the  Forty-fourth,  and  at 

this  time  the  first  opportunity  was  presented.  Comrade  Charles 
J.  Mclntire,  of  Company  G,  and  I  decided  -to  join ;  but  when  we 
called  on  Colonel  Attvvood  we  were  informed  that  owing  to  vari 
ous  causes  the  proposed  expedition  had  been  abandoned.  We 
had  talked  about  the  trip  so  much  that  it  was  a  great  disappoint 
ment,  and  as  it  would  be  very  inconvenient  for  us  to  be  away  in 
March,  —  the  time  named  in  Colonel  Attvvood's  circular,  —  we 
decided  to  wait  until  the  fall  and  go,  with  or  without  others.  In 
August,  after  consulting  with  Colonel  Attwood,  eight  hundred 
circulars  were  issued  in  his  name,  reviving  the  project  suggested 
the  January  previous.  A  few  favorable  answers  were  received, 
but  an  equal  number  of  resignations  followed,  and  the  party  was 
finally  composed  of  Mclntire  and  myself. 

I  left  home  Tuesday  evening,  Sept.  30,  1884,  with  feelings  hard 
to  describe.  It  seemed  almost  as  though  I  was  again  "  going  to 
war."  The  old  barracks,  the  river,  camps,  troops,  drilling,  and 


224  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

various  scenes  of  a  wholly  warlike  nature  were  in  my  mind.  I 
could  not  picture  New  Berne  without  plenty  of  soldiers  moving 
about,  the  old  forts  bristling  with  cannon,  war  vessels  in  the 
river.  I  could  hardly  realize  that  I  was  to  travel  about. without 
a  "  pass,"  unmolested,  in  covered  railway  cars,  or  ride  over  the 
country  roads  instead  of  marching.  However,  I  was  on  my 
way  to  the  never-to-be-forgotten  places,  and  must  expect  great 
changes. 

For  many  years  I  had  had  a  strong  desire  to  visit  Gettysburg. 
I  started  a  little  in  advance  of  Comrade  Mclntire,  whom  I  was  to 
join  at  Baltimore.  Having  had  quite  an  experience  in  photog 
raphy  (as  an  amateur),  I  decided  to  take  my  camera  and  a 
supply  of  dry  plates,  so  as  to  secure  views  of  the  most  interest 
ing  points ;  and  in  this  sketch  of  the  trip  the  number  enclosed  in 
parentheses  following  the  mention  of  any  place  indicates  that  I 
succeeded  in  getting  a  picture  of  that  locality,  and  is  the  number 
of  the  negative. 

Space  will  not  permit  giving  an  account  of  the  Gettysburg 
visit.  It  will  be  sufficient  to  say  that  I  made  some  most  pleasant 
acquaintances,  who  were  engaged  in  and  thoroughly  familiar 
with  the  action  of  the  battle,  and  I  felt  well  repaid  for  the  time 
spent. 

On  Friday  morning,  October  3,  I  boarded  the  south-bound 
train  at  Baltimore,  where  I  joined  Mclntire.  Passing  through 
Washington,  Fredericksburg,  Petersburg,  and  Weldon,  we  reached 
Goldsboro'  at  7.30  P.  M.  Selecting  the  nearest  hotel,  we  told  the 
landlord  the  object  of  our  visit,  expressing  a  desire  to  meet  some 
of  our  late  opponents.  He  soon  found  some,  with  whom  we 
passed  a  very  pleasant  evening. 

Having  arranged  to  send  our  baggage  to  New  Berne  by  train, 
on  Saturday  morning  we  took  a  carriage  and  drove  to  the  Golds 
boro'  battlefield.  To  our  surprise  it  was  nearly  five  miles  from 
the  village.  As  we  approached  the  field  (568)  by  a  different 
road  from  the  one  we  had  followed  twenty-two  years  before,  it 
was  difficult  to  locate  the  various  points.  The  railroad  bridge 
was  unmistakable;  but  we  at  last  concluded  that  the  trees  had 
grown  so  that  now  we  could  not  see  the  bridge  from  the  memo 
rable  turnip-field  in  which  we  had  rested  Dec.  17,  1862.  Time 


NORTH   CAROLINA   REVISITED.  225 

was  precious ;    as  one  view  of  the  field  was  sufficient,  we  were 
soon  in  motion  for  Whitehall. 

Our  driver  professed  to  know  the  route,  but  by  noon  he  ac 
knowledged  he  had  not  been  over  it  for  many  years  and  had 
lost  his  way.  We  were  disappointed,  as  we  had  hoped  to  ride 
over  the  same  road  that  we  marched  over  in  1862.  Stopping  at 
a  farm-house  for  directions,  the  woman  replied  in  the  familiar 
North  Carolina  phraseology,  "  It 's  a  right  smart  distance  fur 
ther  this  way,  but  I  Ve  heared  my  husband  say  this  road  is  a  heap 
better  than  the  other;  "  and  so  we  kept  on.  About  2  P.  M.  we 
turned  into  the  main  street  (574)  of  Whitehall,1  at  the  point 
where  Newcomb  and  Slocum,  of  Company  A,  were  killed,  Dec. 
16,  1862. 

Driving  immediately  to  the  Seawell  House  and  ordering  lun 
cheon,  we  proceeded  to  view  the  position  occupied  by  the  Forty- 
fourth  at  the  time  of  the  action.  Fortunately  we  found  a  Mr. 
Whitfield,  who  owned  most  of  the  land  about  there  and  was  a 
resident  of  the  place  during  the  war.  \Ve  found  the  little  burial- 
lot  (570)  on  the  river-bank  near  Company  G's  position.  We 
were  shown  the  places  where  many  of  the  killed  had  been  buried, 
and  were  told  that  since  the  war  all  the  bodies  had  been  re 
moved, —  he  supposed  to  the  Federal  Cemetery  at  New  Berne, — 
with  the  exception  of  one  whose  name  or  regiment  was  unknown, 
and  a  house  having  been  built  over  the  soldier's  last  resting- 
place,  the  body  could  not  be  disinterred.  Walking  out  on  the 
bridge  (569)  we  took  a  view  of  the  bank  opposite  our  position 
(572),  and  then  of  the  spot  where  the  Confederate  gunboat  was 
built  (571).  The  place  had  changed  greatly.  The  south  bank 
is  now  thickly  studded  with  young  trees,  so  that  it  is  difficult  to 
find  a  place  from  which  the  river  can  be  seen.  The  half-dozen 
buildings  which  formed  the  town  of  Whitehall,  and  in  1862  were 
burned  when  we  left,  have  been  replaced  by  some  twenty  or 
thirty,  among  them  a  church,  hotel,  and  saw-mill.  About  half 
a  mile  west  of  the  main  street  is  a  hotel  for  summer  guests  near 
some  springs  which  have  been  found  to  possess  medicinal  prop 
erties.  There  are  seven  of  them,  and  the  name  "Whitehall"  has 

1  The  map  shows   Whitehall   Bridge.     The  village  of  Seven  Springs,  formerly 
Whitehall,  or,  as  maps  say,  "Jericho,"  is  on  the  south  bank  of  the  river. 

15 


226  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

been  discarded,  the  place  now  being  known  as  "  Seven  Springs." 
The  main  street  of  the  town  extends  to  about  where  Newcomb 
and  Slocum  were  killed  (573),  which  at  the  time  of  our  first  visit 
was  an  open  field.  A  gentleman  pointed  out  a  tree  in  his  garden 
under  which  they  had  been  buried. 

After  luncheon  we  drove  over  the  bridge  on  our  way  to  La 
Grange,  where  we  were  to  take  the  train  for  New  Berne.  Four 
miles  an  hour  appears  to  be  the  maximum  rate  of  driving  in 
North  Carolina,  and  it  was  5.30  P.  M.  when  we  stepped  on  the 
platform  of  the  railway  station  at  that  place. 

At  half-past  six  the  train  from  Goldsboro'  arrived,  and  glad 
enough  we  were  to  get  on  board.  We  frankly  stated  to  those  we 
met  the  object  of  our  trip,  and  the  greatest  cordiality  was  shown 
us.  On  this  train  we  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  Captain  Car^ 
roway.  He  had  been  in  the  Confederate  cavalry,  and  while  the 
Forty-fourth  was  in  the  department,  commanded  the  pickets  on 
the  north  side  of  the  Neuse,  with  headquarters  at  or  near  Street's 
Ferry.  Mclntire  remembered,  when  detailed  on  a  flag-of-truce 
boat  to  carry  some  refugees  up  the  river,  having  seen  him  near 
that  place.  Captain  Carroway  stated  that  for  a  long  time  he 
belonged  to  the  "  unreconciled,"  but  at  last  realized  that  it  was  no 
use  "kicking  against  the  pricks."  Now,  he  says,  he  can  sec  that 
the  war  had  its  good  results ;  that  the  people  of  both  sections  are 
becoming  better  acquainted,  are  discovering  good  points  in  each 
other  that  they  knew  not  of  before,  and  that  their  minds  are  being 
gradually  cleared  of  prejudices.  For  his  part  he  "was  right  glad 
to  see  us."  He  got  off  at  Kinston,  expressing  a  wish  that  he 
might  be  able  to  be  of  service. 

At  9  P.  M.  the  train  stopped  and  the  brakeman  shouted  "  New 
Berne."  We  were  as  glad  to  reach  our  journey's  end  as  we  had 
been  twenty-two  years  before,  and  we  alighted  at  the  same  spot, 
opposite  the  railway  round-house  and  machine-shop  (606).  We 
were  not  at  all  anxious  to  try  that  caravansary  again.  Dim  memo 
ries  of  the  reputation  of  the  Gaston  House  rose  in  our  minds, — 
those  old  fairy  tales  of  realms  of  bliss  to  which  enlisted  men  were 
not  admitted;  of  beds  with  sheets;  of  tables  with  white  cloths 
and  napkins.  We  decided  to  go  there,  regardless  of  the  expos 
tulations  and  praises  by  another  stage-driver  of  a  rival  hotel. 


NORTH   CAROLINA   REVISITED.  22/ 

Unlike,  too,  our  original  method  of  proceeding,  we  rode  from  the 
station  through  Craven  Street  to  our  destination  (579).  It  was 
like,  yet  unlike.  No  sentries  parading  up  and  down,  no  officers 
lounging  on  the  piazza,  none  of  that  bustle  we  had  known  in 
1862  and  1863.  It  was  a  beautiful  moonlight  night,  and  we  could 
not  resist  the  inclination  to  stroll  about  the  town.  Up  Craven 
Street,  by  the  house  occupied  by  the  colonel  when  the  regiment 
was  on  provost  duty  (601 )  ;  down  Pollock  Street,  by  the  quar 
ters  of  Company  D  (602,  603),  and  the  old  guard-house  of  Dis 
trict  No.  i  (608).  All  were  closed,  no  signs  of  life  visible. 
Passing  up  Broad  Street,  we  stopped  in  front  of  Company  E's 
old  quarters  (604,  605).  The  front  door  was  open  and  a  young 
lady  seated  in  the  hall  reading.  Our  escort  was  evidently  well 
acquainted  ;  he  called  her  out  and  introduced  us.  She  was  very 
agreeable,  and  said  that  her  recollections  of  the  war  were  very 
dim,  as  she  was  but  a  baby  when  it  broke  out.  On  being  told 
that  we  proposed  photographing  the  places  with  which  we  were 
familiar  as  soldiers,  she  kindly  offered  to  stand  on  the  piazza. ; 
but  as  we  could  not  appoint  an  hour,  she  unfortunately  was 
absent  when  we  returned  for  that  purpose. 

Sunday  morning  we  started  for  a  longer  stroll,  but  the  intense 
heat  soon  drove  us  back  to  cover.  In  the  afternoon  Mr.  Street, 
to  whom  we  had  letters  of  introduction,  took  us  to  drive  —  out  in 
view  of  the  old  camp-grounds  of  Stevenson's  brigade;  to  the 
National  Cemetery  (577,  588),  where  we  looked  up  the  recorded 
burials  of  the  Forty-fourth  men  (578,  587)  and  visited  their 
graves. 

The  National  Cemetery  is  located  on  the  westerly  side  of  the 
field  on  which  we  used  to  have  our  brigade  and  battalion  drills, 
on  the  left  of  the  wagon-road  which,  passing  Fort  Rowan  (or 
Star  Fort),  runs  in  a  northwesterly  direction  till  it  crosses  the 
swamp  near  where  Fort  Stevenson  was  located.  The  grounds  are 
about  eight  acres  in  extent,  surrounded  by  a  substantial  brick 
wall.  On  entering,  the  first  object  to  attract  attention  is  the 
keeper's  lodge,  a  one-story  and  French-roof  cottage,  built  of 
North  Carolina  marl.  Opposite  the  house  maple-trees  have  been 
set  out  in  such  a  way  that  when  fully  grown  there  will  be  an  en 
closure  in  the  shape  of  a  cross,  roofed  by  the  arching  of  the 


228  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

limbs.  It  is  known  as  Sylvan  Hall.  Trees  in  every  variety  that 
will  flourish  in  the  locality  are  scattered  through  the  enclosure 
in  profusion,  together  with  flowering  shrubs.  Every  grave  is 
marked  with  a  marble  headstone  engraved  with  the  name  of  the 
soldier,  if  known ;  in  many  cases  relatives  have  erected  handsome 
monuments.  By  enriching  the  ground  with  soil  from  the  swamp, 
a  beautiful  turf  has  been  secured,  which  is  green  when  all  grass  out 
side  is  dry  and  parched  by  the  summer  heat;  and  the  whole  effect 
is  such  that  a  visitor,  on  entering,  can  easily  imagine  that  he  is  in 
a  Northern  cemetery.  The  friends  of  those  buried  there  can  feel 
assured  that  the  last  resting-place  of  their  loved  ones  is  as  well 
cared  for  and  as  beautiful  as  any  but  the  most  expensive  of  our 
own  "  cities  of  the  dead."  The  National  Government  has  pro 
vided  that  in  these  respects  its  dead  heroes  shall  be  perpetually 
honored. 

One  woman  only  is  buried  here.  In  1864,  learning  that  her 
betrothed,  Charles  E.  Colledge,  private  in  the  Twenty-fifth  Mas 
sachusetts,  had  been  stricken  with  yellow  fever,  Carrie  E.  Cutter 
went  to  New  Berne  to  nurse  him.  He  died,  and  she,  heart-broken, 
fell  an  easy  prey  to  the  same  disease.  Her  last  wish  has  been 
gratified  in  allowing  her  remains  to  forever  rest  beside  those  of 
him  she  loved  so  well. 

Returning,  we  saw  the  mounds  of  earth  representing  Forts 
Rowan  (581)  and  Totten  (582,  583).  On  Monday  we  went  again 
to  these  places  and  photographed  them. 

By  advice  of  many  who  learned  we  were  to  visit  "  Little " 
Washington,  we  engaged  a  carryall,  driver,  and  pair  of  horses, 
and  left  New  Berne  at  4.30  P.  M.  At  the  end  of  an  hour  we  had 
gone  three  miles,  and  it  was  after  seven  when  we  reached  Street's 
Ferry,  only  ten  miles  from  New  Berne.  At  2.30  A.  M.,  Tuesday, 
October  7,  we  drove  into  Washington.  After  disturbing  the 
peaceful  sleep  of  several  citizens,  we  found  a  boarding-house 
kept  by  Mr.  Adams,  where  we  secured  accommodations. 

In  the  morning  we  engaged  the  services  of  one  Joe  Chauncey 
to  drive  us  to  Rawle's  Mills.  Some  seven  or  eight  miles  out  we 
came  to  the  first  swamp  (595),  though  not  the  last,  of  which  we 
ascertained  the  depth  while  accompanying  General  Foster  in  his 
North  Carolina  expeditions.  A  two-months  drought  had  had  its 


NORTH   CAROLINA   REVISITED.  229 

effect,  and  we  might  have  walked  through  without  having  the 
water  come  over  our  shoes.  Wishing  to  reach  Rawle's  Mills 
before  it  was  too  late  to  photograph,  we  hurried  on.  We  came 
to  a  sharp  bend  on  the  left,  a  small  house  on  the  right,  open 
fields  on  both  sides,  and  in  front  a  ford  between  steep  banks. 
We  thought  we  had  reached  the  location  of  our  first  action. 
After  photographing  it  (596)  we  sought  for  the  graves  of  our 
men,  but  could  find  no  trace  of  any.  Returning  to  the  house 
and  consulting  an  old  lady  who  well  remembered  "  Foster's  raid," 
we  learned  that  we  were  mistaken  regarding  this  place  being 
Rawle's  Mills.  We  drove  on  some  two  miles,  when  we  reached 
a  saw-mill  owned  by  a  Mr.  Lilly,  with  whom  our  driver  was  ac 
quainted.  Mr.  Lilly  said  the  place  we  were  seeking  was  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  beyond  the  bend.  He  was  not  on  the  ground 
at  the  time  of  the  fight,  but  knew  all  about  it,  and  told  us  where 
some  of  our  men  had  been  buried,  including  one  named  Rollins. 
Their  graves  were  originally  under  some  trees  which  have  been 
felled  since  the  war,  and  the  ground  is  now  a  cornfield.  We 
drove  to  Rawle's  Mills  (585).  The  deepest  part  of  the  stream 
is  now  spanned  by  a  substantial  wagon-bridge.  The  course  of 
the  road  has  been  somewhat  changed,  that  part  in  which  we 
were  standing  when  ambushed  being  overgrown  with  bushes. 
The  old  breastworks  have  been  levelled,  but  the  field  in  which 
we  bivouacked  (584)  is  still  cultivated.  We  then  returned  to 
Washington. 

On  Wednesday  morning  we  began  our  inspection  of  Washing 
ton.  We  met  a  Colonel  Carrow  who  offered  to  guide  us,  and 
found  the  accounts  of  his  war  experience  very  entertaining.  We 
first  went  to  Fort  Washington  (584),  and  then  to  the  Grice  place 
(590).  The  colonel's  son  had  married  one  of  the  Misses  Grice, 
and  on  invitation  we  entered  the  house,  where  we  passed  a  most 
delightful  half-hour  with  the  family.  Leaving  the  place,  we 
paused  to  take  a  parting  shot  (591)  and  then  went  to  the  bridge. 
A  Mr.  Winfield,  whom  we  fortunately  encountered,  gave  us  much 
valuable  information.  It  appears  that  what  our  boys  took  to  be 
a  bend  in  the  road  near  where  Companies  A  and  G  were  ambus 
caded  March  30,  1863,  was  a  breastwork  formed  by  felling  a 
cypress-tree  six  feet  in  diameter  across  the  road.  Part  of  the 


230  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

trunk  still  lays  there  slowly  rotting  (594).  Mr.  Winfield  claims  to 
have  assisted  in  removing  three  men,  one  of  whom  was  wounded 
in  the  breast  (Sergeant  Hobart),  one  in  the  eye  (John  Leonard), 
and  another  in  the  neck  (T.  J.  Lawrence),  to  his  mother-in-law's 
house,  where  they  were  nursed  until  able  to  stand  removal  to  a 
hospital  in  the  interior. 

About  4  P.  M.  we  started  on  our  return  to  New  Berne.  When 
nearly  across  the  bridge  we  stopped,  and  adjusting  the  camera 
took  views  of  the  bridge  (600),  the  town  above  (5/9),  and  the 
town  below  (598) ;  also  the  river,  including  Castle  Island  and 
Rodman's  Point  (593).  Another  ten-hours  ride,  broken  only  by 
a  short  halt  at  Vanceboro',  and  we  were  again  at  the  Gaston 
House,  tired  and  sleepy. 

Thursday  was  comfortably  cool,  and  we  spent  the  day  in  roam 
ing  about  the  town,  taking  views  and  recalling  old  memories. 

On  Friday  morning  we  took  the  train  for  Kinston,  reaching 
there  about  II  A.M.  We  inspected  the  station  (614,  621)  and 
the  fields  beyond ;  then  drove  to  the  scene  of  the  battle.  We 
first  went  to  the  field  in  which  the  right  wing  formed  on  that 
memorable  Sunday  morning.  As  one  experience  of  passing 
through  the  swamp  was  enough  for  a  lifetime,  we  returned  by 
the  road  which  our  left  wing  had  taken  (616).  The  little  church 
on  the  farther  side  of  the  swamp  was  burned  several  years  ago, 
and  the  field  is  now  so  overgrown  with  trees  that  not  a  glimpse 
of  the  bridge  or  the  town  beyond  could  be  had.  The  old  house 
(619),  used  as  a  hospital,  was  there,  its  front  still  showing  where 
it  had  been  struck  with  bullets.  The  owner  was  just  beginning 
to  repair.  On  visiting  the  bridge  (617)  we  looked  over  the  side 
to  see  where  the  man  in  gray  uniform  had  lain  the  Sunday  we 
crossed  it  in  December,  1862.  The  channel  of  the  river  is  now 
deep  and  the  current  strong.  A  view  down  the  river  (618)  shows 
the  jetties  recently  built  by  the  United  States  Government  to  im 
prove  navigation.  After  our  battle  the  Confederates  built  strong 
and  elaborate  works  to  protect  the  bridge  against  another  attack. 
We  found  them  in  the  same  dilapidated  state  as  were  similar  field- 
works  erected  during  the  war.  The  only  places  that  looked  at 
all  natural  were  the  hospital  and  the  bridge,  the  latter  being  a 
duplicate  of  the  one  burned  by  our  forces  when  we  recrossed  the 


NORTH    CAROLINA   REVISITED.  231 

river.  Its  days  are  numbered,  as  the  material  of  an  iron  bridge 
which  is  to  take  its  place  was  being  unloaded  from  the  cars  while 
we  were  in  Kinston.  We  left  that  evening,- reaching  Goldsboro' 
about  midnight.  We  can  say  with  much  more  certainty  than  we 
could  have  said  on  former  occasions,  "  The  object  of  the  expedi 
tion  has  been  accomplished." 

On  our  way  home  we  visited  Richmond,  sailed  down  the  James 
River,  passing  Fort  Darling,  Malvern  Hill,  Harrison's  Landing, 
Bermuda  Hundred,  City  Point,  and  other  places  of  historical 
interest,  to  Norfolk,  whence  we  took  steamer  for  Boston,  reaching 
home  Friday  night,  after  an  absence  of  eighteen  days.  The 
North  Carolina  part  of  the  trip  might  be  accomplished  in  ten 
days  by  using  the  railroad  only. 

The  visit  was  exceedingly  interesting.  Those  who  had  been 
in  the  Southern  army  were  particularly  cordial,  and  anxious  to 
do  all  they  could  to  make  our  trip  agreeable.  All  were  hospita 
ble,  and  hoped  that  more  of  the  boys  who  wore  the  blue  in  North 
Carolina  would  pay  them  a  visit. 

On  our  return  from  North  Carolina  I  obtained  all  the  informa 
tion  possible  from  those  who  were  present  at  the  burial  of  com 
rades  Morse  and  Rollins,  near  Rawle's  Mills,  Nov.  2,  1862.  This 
I  sent  to  the  superintendent  of  the  National  Cemetery  at  New 
Berne,  with  a  request  that  the  remains  of  these  men  might  be 
removed  to  that  place.  Sometime  afterwards  I  received  the 
letter  of  which  a  copy  is  given  below,  showing  that  the  removal 
had  been  accomplished  :  — 

UNITED  STATES  NATIONAL  CEMETERY,  OFFICE  OF  SUPERINTENDENT, 
NEW  BERNE,  N.  C.,  May  22,  1885. 

Mr.  WM.  G.  REED,  Sec.  44^  Mass.  Vols.  Assoc.,  24  Kx.  PL,  Boston,  Mass. 
SIR,  —  In  compliance  with  your  request,  you  are  informed  that  the 
bodies  of  the  three  United  States  soldiers  at  Rawle's  Mills,  North  Carolina, 
have  been  disinterred,  brought  to  this  cemetery,  and  reinterred.  They 
were  in  fair  preservation,  and  each  readily  recognized  from  your  descrip 
tion.  Their  numbers  are  as  follows  :  Charles  Morse,  Company  E,  Forty- 
fourth  Massachusetts,  grave  No.  3256  ;  Charles  E.  Rollins,  Company  C, 

Forty-fourth  Massachusetts,  grave  No.  3257  ;  King,  Marine  Artillery, 

grave  No.  3258. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

ED.  TAUBENSPECK,  Superintendent. 


232  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

Aside  from  the  pleasure  derived  from  again  seeing  those 
places  so  prominent  in  our  memories  of  army  life,  there  is  a 
peculiar  gratification  in  having  been  the  means  of  securing  the 
removal  of  the  remains  of  those  fallen  comrades  from  neglected 
graves  to  the  beautiful  resting-place  provided  by  the  United 
States  Government. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


MEDICAL   AND    SURGICAL   NARRATIVE. 

HE  medical  and  surgical  care  of  a  thou 
sand  men  under  the  exceptional  cir 
cumstances  of  army  life  is  no  trifling 
matter.  If  the  history  of  a  regiment 
is  not  written  in  blood,  the  unusual 
conditions  of  camp  and  field  entail  no 
small  amount  of  risk,  suffering,  and 
death  upon  its  members,  and  of  labor 
and  responsibility  on  its  medical  staff. 
These  results  are  largely  increased  by 
the  youth  and  inexperience  of  the 
men  who  compose  a  regiment.  The 
Forty-fourth  was  made  up  in  large 

part  of  boys  accustomed  to  all  the  luxuries  of  city  and  suburban 
life.  The  average  age  was  about  twenty-two  years;  the  average 
height,  five  feet  eight  inches ;  and  the  average  weight,  one  hun 
dred  and  thirty-seven  pounds. 

The  preliminary  encampment  at  Readville  was,  for  a  time,  a 
sort  of  picnic,  at  which  daily  drill  was  relieved  by  moonlight 
promenades  to  the  strains  of  the  Boston  Brass  Band.  The  daily 
routine  was  enlivened  by  the  stirring  notes  of  Dan  Simpson's 
drum  and  Si  Smith's  fife.  The  severity  of  commissary  diet  was 
tempered  by  an  abundant  overflow  from  home  tables.  Nothing 
was  too  good  for  the  "  flower  of  the  youth  of  Boston,"  and  these 
"  pets  of  many  a  household  "  for  a  time,  like  Dives,  fared  sump 
tuously  every  day.  Contractors'  shoddy  was  rejected  for  custom- 
made  uniforms,  fancy  boots  took  the  place  of  army  shoes,  and 
Short's  knapsacks  were  provided  by  the  generosity  of  the  busi 
ness  men  of  Boston. 


234  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

Meanwhile  the  surgeons  were  occupied  with  preparations  for 
the  sterner  duties  of  the  campaign  in  prospect.  The  cheery 
notes  of  the  surgeon's  call  for  the  first  time  resounded  through 
the  camp.  As  it  soon  became  a  favorite  air  for  all  sorts  of  im 
provised  words,  descriptive  of  the  disease  most  prevalent  at  the 
time,  it  is  reproduced  here. 


The  personnel  of  the  surgical  staff  and  hospital  officers  was  as 
follows ;  namely :  — 

Surgeon Dr.  Robert  Ware. 

Assistant-Surgeon    .     .  Dr.  Theodore  W.  Fisher. 

Hospital  Steward     .     .  William  C.  Brigham. 

.  Wardmaster   ....  James  B.  Brewster,  Co.  D. 

Hospital  Cook    .     .     .  Seth  J.  Hobbs,  Co.  G. 

Nurse Noah  W.  Brooks,  Co.  C. 

" Thomas  J.  Barnaby,  Co.  -G. 

This  list  was  subsequently  increased,  according  to  the  hospital 
muster-roll  of  Feb.  28,  1863,  as  follows:  — 

Clerk Henry  W.  Littlefield,  Co.  D. 

Assistant-Cook   .     .     .  H.  Clay  Cross,  Co.  E. 

Nurse Joseph  F.  Dean,  Co.  F. 

Andrew  H.  Curry,  Co.  H. 

" Harrison  Parker,  2d,  Co.  H. 

" Benjamin  F.  Bates,  Co.  I. 

......  Charles  H.  Roberts,  Co.  E. 

" George  H.  Ray,  Co.  C. 

" Cummings  D.  Whitcomb,  Co.  C. 

" William  A.  Smallidge,  Co.  C. 

" John  H.  Pearce,  Co.  E. 

Dr.  Ware  was  a  graduate  of  Harvard,  of  the  class  of  1852, 
and  of  the  Medical  College,  class  of  1856,  and  was  a  son  of  one 
of  its  most  distinguished  professors,  Dr.  John  Ware.  He  had 
had  some  experience  as  a  surgeon  of  the  Sanitary  Commission 
on  board  a  hospital  steamship  in  the  Peninsular  Campaign, 
and  was  in  every  way  well  qualified  for  his  place.  Dr.  Fisher, 
after  a  business  and  academic  education,  graduated  at  Harvard 


MEDICAL   AND   SURGICAL  NARRATIVE.  235 

Medical  College  in  the  class  of  1861,  and  had  had  two  years' 
experience  in  hospital  service  at  the  Boston  Lunatic  Hospital 
and  as  Resident  Physician  to  the  city  institutions  in  Boston 
Harbor.  He  applied  for  a  surgeoncy  in  a  three  years'  regiment, 
but  had  not  practised  the  requisite  number  of  years. 

It  was  soon  found  by  the  surgeons  that,  in  consequence  of  the 
great  pressure  for  admission  to  this  regiment,  some  physically 
unfit  men  had  been  passed  by  the  examining  physicians  of  the 
cities  and  towns.  Deception  as  to  age  had  been  practised  to 
some  extent,  and  boys  under  eighteen,  puny  and  undeveloped, 
had  been  passed,  through  their  own  urgency  to  enlist.  This 
necessitated  a  re-examination  of  every  man  by  the  regimental 
surgeons.  This  duty  was  thoroughly  performed  at  Readville, 
every  member  of  the  regiment  being  stripped,  inspected,  and 
tested  in  various  ways.  Confession  of  weakness  or  disability 
could  only  be  extorted  after  actual  discovery.  As  an  example 
of  this  pressure,  a  squad  of  young  men  from  Walpole  refused  to 
enlist  unless  one  of  their  number,  named  Hartshorne,  whose  foot 
had  been  partially  disabled,  was  passed.  Richard  V.  De  Peyster, 
of  Framingham,  of  good  family  and  in  good  circumstances,  being 
rejected  for  near-sightedness,  insisted  on  going  in  some  capacity, 
if  only  as  company  cook.  He  was  passed  and  assigned  for  duty 
in  the  stretcher  corps,  and  at  Rawle's  Mill  was  wounded  in  the 
thigh  and  lost  an  arm  while  carrying  his  stretcher.  Necessarily 
many  slender  youths  were  admitted ;  but  they  were  believed  to 
be  sound,  and  proved  better  able  to  hold  out  on  long  marches 
than  some  older  and  heavier  men,  even  of  the  veteran  regiments. 

The  regiment  was  also  re-vaccinated  in  all  cases  requiring  it. 
Hospital  stores  and  extra  medical  supplies  were  secured  from 
governmental  and  private  sources.  Welcome  addition  to  the 
hospital  fund  was  made  by  friends  of  the  regiment.  Our  stock 
of  Government  whiskey  and  sp.  vin.  Gall,  was  supplemented  by 
Hungarian  wine,  cherry  cordial,  arrack,  tinto  Madeira  of  1816, 
and  old  port  which  had  mellowed  in  the  cellars  of  the  Emperor 
of  Brazil !  Let  this  be  no  reflection  on  the  regiment  or  its  offi 
cers,  for  it  was  professedly  and  actually  a  temperate  regiment. 
When  it  became  necessary  to  issue  whiskey  and  quinine  rations 
as  a  prophylactic  against  malaria,  alcohol,  water,  and  cayenne 


236  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

pepper  were  substituted  for  whiskey  by  the  surgeons,  and  no 
soldier  is  known  to  have  acquired  a  dangerous  hankering  for 
this  mixture. 

The  hospital  was  indebted  for  luxuries  and  delicacies  for  the 
sick  to  the  Warren  Street  Society  and  Fifth  Universalist  Society, 
of  Boston,  the  Channing  Circle  at  Newton,  and  the  Soldiers'  Aid 
Society  of  Waltham.  Also  to  William  H.  Ireland,  Esq.,  Dr.  C.  H. 
Allen,  and  numerous  young  ladies  of  Boston,  of  whose  names  I 
find  the  following  on  record :  Misses  Lizzie  G.  Cumston,  Sadie  K. 
Galloupe,  Mary  L.  Dexter,  Nellie  E.  Lovett,  Carrie  B.  Streeter, 
Julia  Streeter,  and  Louisa  Prescott.  May  they  find  perennial 
youth  in  these  pages !  The  barrack  assigned  for  hospital  pur 
poses  had  a  room  for  use  at  surgeon's  call  in  front,  and  a  ward 
with  ten  beds  in  the  rear.  But  little  sickness  prevailed  at  Read- 
ville,  however,  except  a  mysterious  complaint  during  the  first 
week,  attributed  by  the  boys  to  senna  put  in  the  coffee  by 
medical  order ! 

The  nurses  were  daily  instructed  in  the  art  of  bandaging  and 
dressing  wounds.  A  stretcher  corps  was  organized,  composed 
of  specially  detailed  men  selected  from  each  company,  to  which 
was  added  the  drum-and-fife  corps,  and  to  which  afterwards  the 
band  belonged,  ex  officio,  according  to  army  regulations.  This 
corps  was  furnished  with  stretchers  devised  by  Assistant-Surgeon 
Fisher,  and  put  in  charge  of  Chaplain  Hall,  who  afterwards  gal 
lantly  led  it  in  every  engagement.  It  was  drilled  in  carrying 
stretchers  over  rough  ground,  fences,  and  walls,  breaking  step  to 
prevent  swinging.  The  men  were  also  taught  how  to  make  and 
apply  tourniquets  and  compresses.  After  the  regiment  was  mus 
tered  in,  the  soldiers  were  more  nearly  restricted  to  Government 
rations.  The  Sunday  inspections  grew  more  rigorous,  and  the 
extra  dainties,  such  as  cake,  pickles,  preserves,  canned  goods, 
etc.,  were  excluded  from  the  bunks  and  barracks  by  order  of 
Surgeon  Ware,  who  thereby  got  the  not  uncomplimentary 
sobriquet  of  "  Old  Sanitary." 

The  regiment  having  been  well  prepared  for  service  by  con 
stant  drilling  and  occasional  marches,  sailed  for  New  Berne,  N.  C., 
October  22,  on  the  "  Merrimac,"  in  company  with  the  right  wing 
of  the  Third  Massachusetts  Regiment.  The  hold  and  bunks  had 


MEDICAL   AND   SURGICAL   NARRATIVE.  237 

been  previously  cleaned  and  whitewashed  by  order  of  Surgeon 
Ware  ;  but  the  men  suffered  much  from  overcrowding,  bad 
ventilation,  sea-sickness,  and  inadequate  provisions  for  cooking 
for  so  many  men.  Had  the  weather  been  rough,  serious  conse 
quences  might  have  resulted  to  health.  Some  colds  were  con 
tracted  by  the  wet  ride  in  open  cars  from  Beaufort  to  New 
Berne,  and  rheumatism  made  its  first  call  on  us. 

The  day  after  arrival  was  spent  by  the  surgeons  in  securing 
quarters  for  a  hospital.  A  house  on  Craven  Street  was  selected 
and  furnished  with  twenty-five  or  thirty  beds.  Here  the  sick  and 
wounded  were  afterwards  made  very  comfortable,  thanks  to  our 
ample  fund  and  stores.  That  nothing  might  be  wanting,  two 
stray  cows  by  some  fortunate  chance  found  their  way  into  the 
back  yard,  and,  fed  on  Government  hay,  gave  milk  for  the  sick 
until  restored  to  their  reputed  owners  by  an  order  from  Provost- 
Marshal  Messenger. 

The  Tarboro'  expedition  occurred  immediately  on  the  ar 
rival  of  the  regiment;  and  the  men,  not  being  fairly  acclimated, 
were  put  to  a  severe  test  in  many  ways.  It  lasted  a  fortnight, 
and  included  a  skirmish  and  a  march  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  miles  in  seven  days.  The  blankets  were  all  left 
at  "  Little "  Washington  by  general  order,  and  the  weather 
proved  unusually  cold  for  the  season.  Our  ideal  sunny  South 
suffered  rapid  deterioration  in  the  presence  of  ice  and  snow. 
The  latter  fell  to  the  depth  of  several  inches,  and  the  stiff  cold 
mud  and  constant  fording  of  icy  creeks  shrunk  the  boys' 
custom-made  boots  and  produced  ugly  ulcers  and  blisters  on 
hundreds  of  feet.  Strips  of  old  linen  and  junks  of  mutton 
tallow,  foraged  on  the  way,  were  served  out  night  and  morning, 
and  wide  army  shoes  commanded  a  premium.  Many  were 
forced  to  cut  their  boots  off  and  walk  in  their  stockings.  Ice 
formed  in  the  woods  an  inch  and  a  half  thick,  and  the  water 
froze  in  our  canteens  on  one  or  two  nights  as  they  lay  on  the 
ground  beside  us ;  and  yet  the  heat  at  noon  was  sufficient,  with 
the  unaccustomed  pressure  of  the  accoutrements  on  the  chest, 
to  produce  many  heat-strokes. 

The  surgeons  were  constantly  busy  attending  the  sick  and  ex 
hausted  men,  and  giving  passes  to  lame  ones  for  the  ambulances. 


238  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

These  could  not  accommodate  a  tenth  part  of  the  stragglers,  who 
were  obliged  to  fall  behind  and  make  their  slow  and  painful  way 
into  camp  in  the  night.  And  yet  ours  was  the  liveliest  regiment 
in  the  line,  and  held  out,  except  for  the  sore  feet,  as  well  as  the 
veteran  regiments.  The  boys  enlivened  the  march  with  singing, 
which  not  only  cheered  their  comrades  but  the  whole  line.  There 
was  also  a  deficiency  of  rations,  and  many  an  extra  mile  was 
covered  in  the  search  for  provisions  along  the  route.  The  first 
day  a  mule-team  was  confiscated  ("'convey,'  the  wise  it  call") 
for  the  use  of  the  hospital  department,  and  loaded  with  supplies. 
This  was  driven  immediately  in  the  rear  of  the  regiment,  so 
that  we  did  not  depend  on  the  distant  ambulances.  At  Rawle's 
Mill,  on  Sunday  evening,  Nov.  2,  1862,  the  regiment  was  under 
fire  for  the  first  time.  This  engagement  will  be  described  else 
where,  and  by  referring  to  the  list  of  killed  and  wounded  its 
results  will  be  seen.  The  first  wounded  were  attended  in  a  grove 
of  pines  just  before  coming  to  the  creek  (Chopper's)  on  the  left 
of  the  road.  De  Peyster  and  others  were  taken  into  a  Secesh 
cabin  on  the  right.  Here  his  arm  was  amputated  by  Surgeon 
Otis,  senior  at  that  time  and  place.  One  soldier  was  led  out  of 
the  fight  by  two  comrades  in  a  frenzied  condition,  having  been 
made  temporarily  delirious  by  the  suddenness  of  the  attack.  The 
dead  having  been  buried  by  Chaplain  Hall,  who  had  bravely  led 
the  stretcher  corps  into  the  creek,  the  wounded  were  placed  in 
ambulances  and  sent  forward  in  charge  of  the  assistant-surgeon, 
who  attended  a  mortally  wounded  Rebel  in  a  little  house  on  the 
way. 

At  the  end  of  the  third  day's  march  thirty  disabled  men  were 
put  on  board  a  gunboat  at  Hamilton,  which  had  accompanied  us 
on  the  Tar  River.  On  the  fifth  day  forty  more  were  so  disposed 
of.  On  our  return,  these,  with  the  wounded  from  the  skirmish 
at  Rawle's  Mill,  were  sent  back  to  New  Berne  on  board  the  "  North 
erner"  in  charge  of  Assistant-Surgeon  Fisher,  getting  aground 
five  times  on  the  way.  The  delay,  with  the  heat,  insufficient 
supplies,  and  a  fearful  stench  from  the  horses  on  the  forward 
deck  and  the  suppurating  wounds,  caused  great  discomfort  to 
the  sick  and  wounded. 

On  our  return  to  New  Berne  the  regimental  hospital  service 


MEDICAL   AND   SURGICAL  NARRATIVE.  239 

was  thoroughly  organized  by  Surgeon  Ware,  strict  orders  for  the 
daily  routine  being  issued  November  20.  Assistant-Surgeon 
Fisher  had  charge  of  the  sick  in  quarters,  of  whom  there  were 
many  suffering  from  diarrhoea,  bronchitis,  and  rheumatism,  con 
tracted  on  the  Tarboro'  march.  By  reference  to  the  Sick  Re 
port  Summary  it  will  be  seen  that  the  aggregate  number  for 
November  was  337,  against  206  for  October.  The  barracks, 
which  were  of  such  contracted  dimensions  as  to  give  but  one 
hundred  and  fifty  cubic  feet  of  air  space  to  each  man,  were  ven 
tilated  by  openings  at  the  ridge  and  sides,  at  the  expense  of  the 
hospital  fund.  November  21  a  detail  of  twenty-four  men  was 
made,  selected  by  the  surgeons  from  a  list  of  twice  that  number, 
of  an  invalid  guard,  which  was  sent  to  garrison  a  block-house  up 
the  Trent  River.  These  were  mostly  cases  of  rheumatism,  her 
nia,  and  varicose  veins,  brought  on  by  lying  on  the  wet  ground 
and  by  continued  marching. 

The  Goldsboro'  expedition  set  out  December  11,  and  returned 
December  20.  In  nine  days  the  regiment  marched  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles,  bivouacking  at  night  and  participating  in  three 
engagements  with  the  enemy.  The  weather  was  clear,  with  hot 
days  and  frosty  nights.  A  less  number  fell  out  of  the  ranks 
and  there  were  fewer  sunstrokes  than  on  the  previous  expedition. 
The  men  had  their  blankets  this  time,  and  were  provided  with 
the  low,  wide  army  shoes,  thus  escaping  to  a  great  extent  the 
suffering  from  sore  feet.  There  were  similar  creeks  to  cross, 
however,  and  the  constant  halting  and  unexpected  starting  of 
the  column  made  marching  difficult  and  wearisome. 

At  Kinston,  December  14,  as  the  regiment  formed  in  line  of 
battle,  the  surgeons  were  directed  by  Medical-Director  Snelling 
to  station  themselves  in  the  edge  of  some  woods  and  attend  to 
the  wounded  indiscriminately  as  they  were  brought  to  the  rear. 
This  order  was  complied  with  for  half  an  hour,  when  the  work  of 
dressing  wounds  and  extracting  balls  was  continued  in  a  little 
house  in  the  edge  of  the  swamp  where  the  regiment  had  gone  in. 
In  a  short  time  another  move  was  made  to  a  large  house  full  of 
wounded  near  the  Kinston  bridge,  where  work  was  in  progress 
till  after  dark.  Fortunately  the  regiment  escaped  without  wounds, 
although  under  fire  for  some  time  in  the  swamp. 


240  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

At  Whitehall  the  regiment  went  into  line  of  battle  on  a  hill 
behind  Belger's  battery.  Two  men  had  just  been  killed  by  a 
shell,  when  Edwin  S.  Fisher  of  Boston,  a  drummer-boy  of  Com 
pany  G,  was  wounded  in  the  knee,  a  large  flap  of  integument 
being  torn  off  and  left  hanging  by  the  explosion  of  a  shell.  He 
was  attended  at  once  by  Assistant-Surgeon  Fisher,  and  during 
the  painful  and  tedious  process  of  stitching  the  flap  into  place 
showed  great  coolness  by  calling  for  a  pencil  with  which  to  enter 
the  occurrence  in  his  diary.  Meanwhile  the  regiment  had  moved 
forward  to  the  extreme  front,  and  Surgeon  Ware  had  collected  a 
number  of  wounded  behind  a  little  cabin  on  the  right  flank. 
When  rejoined  by  the  assistant-surgeon  the  regiment  was  under 
a  hot  fire  from  rebel  sharp-shooters  concealed  in  the  tree-tops, 
and  the  rear  of  the  line  was  anything  but  a  pleasant  place. 
Belger's  battery,  a  few  yards  from  hospital  headquarters,  was 
losing  rapidly  in  horses  and  men.  Stout  Captain  Belger,  with 
arms  akimbo,  ordered  the  guns  loaded  with  grape  and  canister, 
and  then  shouted,  "  Fire  into  the  trees !  Now,  boys,  stand  by 
my  battery !  "  A  hospital  attendant,  Joseph  F.  Dean,  of  Cam 
bridge,  Company  F,  was  hit  about  this  time.  It  was  feared  the 
fire  of  the  battery  would  draw  an  artillery  fire  on  their  frail 
shelter,  so  the  dead  and  wounded  were  put  on  stretchers  and 
carried  to  a  grove  in  the  rear,  where  the  angry  spit  of  bullets 
was  less  frequent.  An  attempt  here  to  tie  the  subclavian  artery 
was  a  failure,  the  patient  dying  of  hemorrhage  from  a  deep 
wound  in  the  axilla.  George  E.  Noyes,  of  West  Roxbury, 
Company  K,  declined  surgical  aid,  saying  he  was  past  help  and 
others  needed  it  more.  He  died  the  next  day  from  a  wound 
in  the  abdomen. 

As  the  firing  slackened  the  dead  were  buried  under  direction 
of  Chaplain  Hall,  and  the  wounded  removed  to  a  general  ren 
dezvous  on  the  hill.  Here  more  surgical  work  was  done,  and 
Medical-Director  Snelling  ordered  the  assistant-surgeon  to  put 
the  wounded  in  ambulances  without  distinction  of  regiment,  al 
though  a  detail  of  ambulances  had  been  assigned  to  each  regi 
ment.  This  order  was  disregarded,  and  all  the  wounded  of  the 
Forty-fourth  able  to  be  moved  were  sent  on  their  way  to  Golds- 
boro'.  As  they  passed  along  the  road  parallel  to  the  river  the 


MEDICAL   AND   SURGICAL  NARRATIVE.  241 

ambulances  were  fired  on  by  lingering  Rebels  across  the  river. 
Assistant-Surgeon  Fisher,  who  was  searching  for  wounded  in  the 
field  near  the  bridge,  was  also  fired  at  two  hours  or  more  after 
the  fight  was  over.  "  He  means  you,  Doc. !  "  said  a  soldier 
guarding  a  pile  of  knapsacks  behind  a  chimney.  Such  incidents, 
as  well  as  the  flag-of-truce  trick  at  Goldsboro',  were  somewhat 
characteristic  of  Rebel  ideas  of  honor. 

Insensibility  to  pain  was  noticed  in  many  cases  as  a  conse 
quence  of  the  excitement  of  battle,  as  in  the  cases  of  Fisher  and 
Noyes  already  mentioned.  At  Kinston  also  a  bullet  was  being 
extracted  with  some  difficulty  from  among  the  bones  of  the  foot, 
when  the  soldier,  being  asked  if  it  hurt,  cried  out:  "Dig  away, 
Doctor,  and  damn  the  pain  !  We  Ve  licked  'em  !  "  The  con 
trasting  condition  was  seen  at  Whitehall,  when  a  soldier  who  had 
accidentally  or  purposely  shot  off  his  right  forefinger  was  bellow 
ing  like  a  calf  under  the  process  of  dressing  it,  while  from  a  room 
full  of  seriously  wounded  men  around  him  not  a  groan  was  heard. 

At  Goldsboro'  the  regiment  went  into  line  of  battle  in  reserve 
just  out  of  sight  of  the  field  of  battle,  which  was  in  a  fine,  open 
country  between  the  railroad  and  river.  The  surgeons  rode  for 
ward,  and  learning  that  the  objective  point  of  the  expedition  was 
in  our  hands,  assisted  for  several  hours  at  the  hospital  head 
quarters  in  a  large  house  overlooking  the  field.  In  the  afternoon 
they  rode  down  to  the  front,  where  Belger's  and  Morrison's  bat 
teries,  with  a  regiment  in  support,  were  slowly  shelling  the  woods 
near  the  railroad  bridge.  A  squad  of  cavalry  occupied  the  right 
flank.  Just  at  this  moment  a  white  flag  was  seen  waving  in  the 
edge  of  the  woods,  and  the  cavalry  galloped  up  to  it  to  bring  in 
the  prisoners  supposed  to  be  in  waiting,  when  they  received  a 
volley  which  sent  them  back  in  haste.  The  shelling  was  renewed 
for  half  an  hour  with  more  vigor,  when  from  beyond  the  railroad 
embankment  was  heard  a  Rebel  yell,  shrill,  like  the  screams  of  a 
multitude  of  women  and  children,  and  in  a  moment  three  regi 
ments  mounted  the  bank  and  charged  directly  on  the  batteries. 
The  left  one  was  seen  to  falter  under  the  artillery  fire  and  seek 
safety  behind  the  railroad,  while  the  other  two  regiments  came 
bravely  on,  the  grape  and  canister  cutting  great  gaps  in  the 
ranks  till  they  were  compelled  to  withdraw  with  great  loss.  The 

16 


242  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

supports  coming  up  also  showed  the  Rebels  the  hopelessness 
of  their  attempt  After  this  charge  Surgeon  Ware  remained 
awhile  to  assist  at  the  general  hospital,  and  Assistant-Surgeon 
Fisher  rejoined  the  regiment,  which  went  into  line  of  battle 
across  a  road  in  the  woods.  Here  perfect  silence  was  enjoined, 
and  one  poor  fellow  with  a  spasmodic  cough  was  dosed  with 
opium  and  hurried  to  the  rear  between  two  comrades,  with  his 
handkerchief  stuffed  into  his  mouth.  Nothing  came  of  all  our 
precautions,  and  the  army  took  up  its  line  of  march  through  a 
burning  forest  towards  New  Berne. 

On  our  return  the  same  crop  of  lung  and  intestinal  diseases  ap 
peared  as  had  followed  our  Tarboro'  expedition,  but  they  were 
less  amenable  to  treatment.  Bronchitis  and  diarrhoea  were  re 
placed  by  pneumonia  and  dysentery.  The  total  number  under 
treatment  for  December  was  331,  and  the  daily  average  of  sick 
and  wounded  in  hospital  and  quarters  was  85.  Our  losses  on 
the  Goldsboro'  expedition  may  be  learned  from  the  tables  ap 
pended.  December  25,  the  first  case  of  a  new  and  alarming  dis 
ease  occurred  in  our  regiment,  proving  fatal  in  a  few  days.  The 
epidemic,  which  followed  and  extended  to  other  regiments,  was 
entirely  outside  the  experience  of  any  of  the  surgeons  in  the 
department.  The  fever  was  at  first  regarded  as  a  virulent  type 
of  malarial  disease.  The  autopsy  in  the  case  of  Henry  G.  Kim- 
ball,  of  Andover,  Company  G,  who  died  Jan.  I,  1863,  made  by 
the  assistant-surgeon,  showed  the  presence  of  inflammation  in 
the  membranes  of  the  brain  and  spinal  cord.  The  disease  was 
afterwards  recognized  as  cerebro-spinal  meningitis,  which  is  iden 
tical  with  the  disease  once  known  as  spotted  fever,  occurring  as 
an  epidemic  in  Massachusetts  between  the  years  1807  and  1816. 
The  next  death  was  that  of  John  C.  Pollitz,  Boston,  Company  F, 
on  January  7.  Having  been  previously  well,  he  came  in  from 
guard  in  the  morning,  was  sent  to  the  hospital,  and  died  the  same 
afternoon.  This  sudden  fatality  naturally  produced  much  con 
sternation  in  the  regiment.  Quinine  rations  were  issued  as  a 
prophylactic  measure,  and  Surgeon  Ware  was  untiring  in  his 
efforts  to  determine  the  cause  of  the  epidemic. 

In    a   letter   to    Lieutenant-Colonel   W.  H.    Muzzey,   Medical 
Inspector   United   States  Army,   he    describes   the   barracks    as 


MEDICAL   AND   SURGICAL   NARRATIVE.  243 

"  placed  so  near  the  edge  of  a  swamp  that  the  space  allotted  for 
the  sinks  and  pools  of  refuse  is  much  too  small  for  a  permanent 
camp,  and  too  near  the  barracks.  The  barracks  are  built  of  green 
pine,  and  the  sills  are  laid  directly  on  the  ground.  The  buildings 
are  placed  end  to  end,  those  of  each  wing  forming  one  side  of  a 
square,  the  retreating  angle  of  which  is  directed  towards  the 
swamp."  The  dimensions  of  the  barracks  which  he  gives  allow 
but  one  hundred  and  fifty  cubic  feet  per  man,  or  one  seventh  of 
the  air  space  which  the  British  Army  regulations  require  for  per 
manent  barracks.  Surgeon  Ware  further  states  that  up  to  Feb 
ruary  20,  nineteen  cases  of  the  fever  had  occurred,  with  twelve 
deaths.  No  new  cases  appeared  after  January  19,  when  the  first 
heavy  rains  fell.  The  epidemic  was  preceded  by  a  long  dry 
and  warm  spell  of  weather.  The  first  symptoms  in  most  cases 
were  of  intense  cerebral  congestion,  followed  by  convulsions, 
rigidity  of  the  muscles,  and  coma.  There  were  usually  head 
ache,  stupor,  small,  quick  pulse,  duskiness  of  the  face,  and 
sometimes  collapse  in  the  first  stage,  followed  by  a  noisy  de 
lirium,  deafness,  squinting,  rigidity,  and  lastly  a  petechial  or  pur- 
puric  eruption,  typhoid  symptoms,  coma,  and  death.  Dr.  Ware 
thought  the  disease  was  probably  both  of  typhous  and  malarial 
origin. 

February  I,  in  consequence  of  the  epidemic,  and  the  possible 
connection  of  the  swamp  and  barracks  with  it,  the  regiment  was 
sent  to  Plymouth.  Assistant-Surgeon  Fisher  was  detailed  for 
service  in  the  Foster  General  Hospital  the  last  of  January,  much 
against  his  desire  and  the  remonstrances  of  Colonel  Lee  and  Sur 
geon  Ware.  A  promise  was  exacted  that  if  the  regiment  took  the 
field  or  moved  he  should  go  with  it;  and  the  Plymouth  expe 
dition  having  been  ordered  about  this  time,  he  was  reluctantly 
allowed  to  go.  The  regiment  remained  in  Plymouth  ten  days, 
quartered  on  board  the  "  Northerner"  at  first,  and  afterwards  in 
some  empty  warehouses  without  fire.  The  weather  was  very  cold 
and  the  ground  covered  with  snow.  One  mysterious  night  march 
of  twenty-five  miles  was  made  with  the  usual  mud,  and  ice-cold 
creeks  to  ford.  Measles  first  appeared  here,  and  the  assistant 
surgeon  was  one  of  the  first  victims.  Lying  on  the  floor  of  a 
Southern  house,  with  a  Northern  snow-storm  raging  at  every 


244  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

crevice,  very  sick  with  a  disease  one  is  ashamed  not  to  have  had 
in  early  life,  is  no  joke,  however  it  may  appear  to  one's  brother 
officers !  After  our  return,  February  10,  to  New  Berne  the  regi 
ment  suffered  from  measles  and  diphtheria.  The  cases  were  severe 
and  in  a  few  instances  fatal.  The  assistant-surgeon  was  sent  as  a 
patient  to  the  Stanley  General  Hospital,  putting  the  whole  burden 
of  the  regimental  work  upon  Surgeon  Ware.  On  February  20 
there  were  44  sick  in  quarters  and  66  in  hospital,  general  and 
regimental,  of  which  30  were  cases  of  measles.  The  daily  aver^ 
age  in  January  was  72,  in  February,  67.  On  his  recovery  the 
assistant-surgeon  went  on  duty  at  the  Foster  General  Hospital. 
He  had  under  his  charge  one  half  of  the  patients,  medical  and  sur 
gical,  officers  and  men,  in  the  large  building  formerly  used  as  a 
theatre  and  masonic  hall,  amounting  to  about  75  on  an  average. 
In  the  first  story  the  stage  and  auditorium  of  the  theatre  made 
one  large  ward,  the  drop-scene  being  nailed  up  over  the  stage  to 
form  its  ceiling.  In  the  masonic  hall  overhead  the  sick  and  dying 
were  cheered  by  the  masonic  emblems  painted  in  the  panels  of 
the  ceiling,  a  coffin  being  conspicuous  in  one  corner !  The  regi 
mental  hospital  was  removed  for  convenience  from  Craven  Street 
to  a  hospital  barrack  at  the  camp  the  last  of  February. 

March  14,  during  the  attack  on  our  outposts  across  the  Neuse 
River,  shot  and  shell  fell  near  the  hospital  and  officers'  quarters 
about  breakfast-time.  Shells  for  breakfast  were  a  novelty. 
The  sick  and  the  horses  having  been  removed,  the  cannon 
ading  was  watched  with  less  anxiety.  March  15,  the  regiment  or 
rather  eight  companies  of  it  were  sent  by  transport  to  "  Little  " 
Washington  under  medical  charge  of  Surgeon  Ware,  leaving  two 
companies,  F  and  B,  which  were  on  picket  duty  at  Batchelder's 
Creek,  and  the  invalid  guard  at  Brice's  Creek  in  charge  of  the 
assistant-surgeon,  who  also  continued  his  duties  at  the  Foster  Gen 
eral  Hospital.  No  amount  of  influence  or  persuasion  which  was 
brought  to  bear  on  the  chief  medical  authorities  sufficed  to  re 
voke  his  detail  or  annul  the  above  arrangement.  As  it  afterwards 
proved,  a  disproportionate  amount  of  work  devolved  on  Surgeon 
Ware,  which  may  have  been  influential  in  causing  his  sickness 
and  untimely  death.  But  this  result  was  not  and  could  not  have 
been  foreseen.  As  Surgeon  Fisher  took  an  affectionate  leave  of 


MEDICAL   AND    SURGICAL   NARRATIVE.  245 

his  senior  on  board  the  "  Escort,"  neither  for  a  moment  imagined 
it  was  a  final  farewell. 

The  details  of  the  long  siege  and  the  consequent  sufferings  of 
the  men  are  narrated  elsewhere.  The  casualties  were  few,  but  the 
constant  night  alarms,  heavy  work  by  day  on  short  rations,  and 
the  exposures  and  anxieties  of  the  siege  entailed  much  unusual 
labor  on  Surgeon  Ware,  who  was  the  senior  medical  officer  of 
the  garrison.  The  surgeon's-call  book  having  been  lost,  the 
proportion  of  sickness  in  this  part  of  the  regiment  cannot  be 
determined.  No  fatal  disease  prevailed,  but  cases  of  diarrhoea, 
dysentery,  bronchitis,  and  tonsilitis  were  frequent.  Surgeon 
Ware's  duties  also  extended  to  the  other  regiments  and  to  the 
large  number  of  negroes  engaged  on  the  defences.  The  following 
newspaper  item  relates  to  one  of  Surgeon  Ware's  patients :  — 

"  I  must  tell  you  of  one  hero  who  saved  a  company  of  soldiers  from 
certain  death.  A  flat  full  of  soldiers,  with  a  few  negroes,  attempted  to 
land  at  Rodman's  Point,  but  were  repulsed  by  a  terrible  fire  of  Rebel  bul 
lets,  all  tumbling  into  the  boat  and  lying  flat  to  escape  being  shot.  Mean 
while  the  boat  stuck  fast  on  the  shore,  when  this  noble  African  said  : 
'  Somebody  's  got  to  die  to  git  us  out  of  dis,  and  it  may  as  well  be  me  ! ' 
He  then  deliberately  got  out  and  pushed  the  boat  off,  and  fell  into  it, 
pierced  by  five  bullets.  Dr.  Ware  afterwards  amputated  a  leg  and  resected 
a  part  of  one  bone  in  the  arm  ;  but  the  man  of  course  died." 

Surgeon  Ware  was  attacked  with  double  pneumonia  of  a 
typhoidal  type  about  April  5,  and  died  April  10,  four  days  before 
the  raising  of  the  siege.  He  had  been  seized  with  a  dangerous 
attack  of  syncope  during  our  former  visit  to  "Little"  Washington 
in  November,  of  which  he  made  light,  but  which  probably  in 
dicated  cardiac  debility  not  favorable  to  a  long  life.  He  was 
afterwards  apparently  as  vigorous  as  ever,  and  his  death  was  a 
surprise  and  shock  to  all.  His  unsparing  activity  and  zeal  in 
the  performance  of  his  official  duties  made  his  death  seem  more 
untimely.  He  had  become  endeared  to  the  men  of  the  regi 
ment,  who  had  learned  his  real  worth  and  his  kindness  of  heart, 
and  his  death  was  the  saddest  event  of  the  sad  and  gloomy 
weeks  of  the  siege.  His  brother  officers  of  the  field  and  start 
had  early  learned  to  love  him  as  a  brother.  He  was,  in  fact, 
the  connection,  friend,  or  familiar  acquaintance  of  several  of 


246  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

them  before  the  war,  and  his  death  came  like  a  family  loss  to 
them.  This  is  not  the  place  for  an  adequate  memorial  sketch 
of  so  diligent  a  student,  so  talented  a  surgeon  and  sanitarian,  so 
noble  a  character,  or  even  of  so  good  a  soldier.  His  alma  mater 
will  preserve  his  memory  in  marble  as  pure  as  his  fame;  his 
classmates  will  recount  his  virtues ;  his  friends  and  comrades  will 
long  mourn  his  loss;  and  his  name  will  stand  in  his  country's 
roll  of  honor,  high  among  those  whose  self-sacrifice,  though 
"  sweet  and  fitting,"  was  sad  and  disheartening  to  the  last 
degree. 

During  the  siege  the  distant  boom  of  guns  daily  aroused  new 
apprehensions  for  the  safety  of  their  comrades  in  the  men  left  at 
New  Berne.  The  lack  of  reliable  intelligence  became  positively 
painful,  until  about  April  11,  when  rumors  reached  them  of  the 
death  of  Surgeon  Ware.  Assistant-Surgeon  Fisher  at  once  de 
manded  permission  to  join  the  regiment,  but  was  detained  a  day 
or  two,  until  the  rumor  was  confirmed.  He  then  left  on  the 
"  Escort,"  expecting  to  run  the  blockade,  but  fortunately  found 
Hill's  Point  in  possession  of  our  men.  The  last  gun  of  the  siege 
was  fired  the  night  of  his  arrival.  The  boys  plainly  showed  the 
effects  of  the  siege  in  their  worn  and  anxious  looks,  but  soon 
recuperated  under  the  cheering  influences  of  sleep,  good  rations, 
and  the  prospect  of  an  early  return  to  New  Berne. 

From  April  22  to  the  close  of  its  term  of  service  the  regiment 
was  acting  as  provost-guard  of  New  Berne.  A  large  mansion- 
house  on  Broad  Street  was  taken  for  a  regimental  hospital.  Sur 
geon  Fisher,  whose  commission  dated  from  the  day  of  Surgeon 
Ware's  death,  took  charge  of  it.  Daniel  McPhee  had  been  com 
missioned  Assistant-Surgeon  late  in  March,  and  joined  the  regi 
ment  on  its  return.  Typhoid  fever  became  prevalent,  and  was 
increasing  in  frequency  and  severity  when  the  regiment  sailed 
for  Boston.  Seven  cases  were  too  sick  to  be  moved,  and  were 
sent  to  the  Foster  General  Hospital,  where  four  of  them  died. 
Many  others,  though  very  weak,  were  put  on  board  the  "  Guide," 
in  care  of  Surgeon  Fisher.  Assistant-Surgeon  McPhee  accom 
panied  the  left  wing  on  board  the  "  George  Peabody." 

To  summarize  the  results  from  a  medical  point  of  view  of  our 
nine  months'  service,  the  following  table  will  suffice:  — 


MEDICAL   AND    SURGICAL   NARRATIVE.  247 

Killed  and  died  of  wounds n 

Wounded 32 

Died  of  disease 26 

Discharged  for  disability 65 

Invalid  guard 25 

Total  sick  for  eight  months 2,128 

Pensions  granted 46 

Claims  pending 35 

The  regiment  was  an  average  one  physically,  but  above  the 
average  in  activity,  intelligence,  and  esprit  de  corps.  Its  short 
term  was  made  up  of  active  service  well  calculated  to  test  its 
mettle  and  endurance,  and  in  no  case  did  it  fail  to  exhibit  all 
those  manly  qualities  characteristic  of  Massachusetts  soldiers. 

Killed  and  died  of  Wounds. 

Charles  E.  Rollins,  Brookline  .     Company  C,  Rawle's  Mill,    Nov.     2,  '62. 

Charles  Morse,  Boston  ...  E,       " 

Matthew  R.  Meagher,  Boston  .  "  A,  Whitehall,         Dec.  16,  '62. 

I).  Tyler  Newcomb,  Medford  .  A, 

J.  Watson  Slocum,  Holliston    .  A, 

Sergeant  A.  Stacy  Courtis,  Cambridge  "  C,         "  "  " 

Corporal  Edwin  H.  Curtis,  Boston     "  C, 

Antonio  F.  Polio,  Boston    .     .  C, 

George  E.  Noyes,  West  Roxbury        "  K, 

Albert  L.  Butler,  Cambridge    .  "  A,         "  Dec.  19,  '62. 

Sergeant  David  K.  Hobart,  Boston,    "  G,  Wash'n,  N.  C.,  Apr.  24,  '63. 

Taken  Prisoner. 
Sergeant  David  K.  Hobart,  Boston,  Company  G,  Washington,  N.  C.,  Mar. 

3°.  '63- 
Corporal  Theodore  J.  Lawrence,  Boston,  Company  G,  Washington,  N.  C., 

Mar.  30,  '63. 
Private  John  Leonard,  Roxbury,  Company  G,  Washington,  N.  C.,  Mar. 

30,  '63- 

Deserted. 

William  Gibson,  Chelsea     .     .     Company  A,  Readville,          Oct.    8,  '62. 
Patrick  Dalton,  Newton      .     .  "          B,  "     21,    " 

Morris  P.  Lenihan,  Boston      .  "         H,  Boston,  "     22,    " 

Wounded. 

James  W.Briggs,  2d  Lieut., Boston, Company  C,  Rawle's  Mill,    Nov.    2,  '62. 
Sergeant  Albert  C.  Pond,  Boston        "         C,      "  "         " 


248  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

William  A.  Smallidge,  Cambridge,  Company  C,  Rawle's  Mill,    Nov.    2,  '62. 
Sergeant  Frederick  W.  Smith,  Jr.        "         C,      " 

John  C.  Peakes C,      " 

Asa  H.  Stebbins,  2d  Lieut.,  Boston     "         D,      " 

Charles  H.  Roberts,  Melrose  .  E,      " 

Richard  V.  De  Peyster,  Framingham  "         H,      "  " 

Harrison  Parker,  2d,  Winchester        "         H,      "  "  " 

E.  Augustus  Jacobs,  South  Scituate     "         H,      " 

Alexander  H.  Everett,  Cambridge      "         A,  Whitehall,         Dec.  16,  '62. 

Albert  S.  May,  Needham    .     .  A, 

John  F.  Berry,  Boston    ...  A, 

Sgt.  James  F.  Clark,  W.  Cambridge     "         A, 

Amos  K.  Tappan,  Boston    .     .  A,         "  " 

John  W.  Greenwood,  Needham  A, 

William  Bamford,  North  Andover  •      "         A, 

Warren  P.  Everett,  Newton     .  "          B, 

Charles  C.  Ewer,  Boston     .     .  D, 

Frederick  Jackson,  Boston       .  D, 

Joseph  F.  Dean,  Cambridge    .  "          F,  "  " 

Francis  E.  Lincoln,  Boston      .  "         G, 

Edwin  S.  Fisher,  Boston     .     .  G,         " 

Sgt.  William  W.  Howe,  Framingham    "         H, 

Edward  C.  Crosby,  Framingham        "          H,  " 

George  H.  Colby,  Boston,  Company  D,  Signal  Corps  service  on  gunboat 

on  Neuse  River,  near  Kinston,  Dec.  14,  '62. 
Captain  James  M.  Richardson,  Hubbardston,  Company  A,  Washington, 

N.  C.,  Mar.  30,  '63. 
Corporal  Theodore  J.  Lawrence,  Boston,  Company  G,  Washington,  N.  C., 

Mar.  30,  '63. 

Corp.  John  King,  Boston,  Company  G,  Washington,  N.  C.,  Mar.  30,  '63. 
John  Leonard,  Roxbury,  G, 

Corp.  John  D.  Priest,  Boston,    "          G,  "          "          " 

Frederic  Odiorne,  2d  Lieut.,  Company  G,  clothing  riddled  with  balls  at 

same  place. 

Died. 
Henry  G.   Kimball,  Andover,   Company  G,  Jan.    i,   '63,   cerebro-spinal 

meningitis. 

John  C.  Pollitz,  Boston,  Company  F,  Jan.  7,  '63,  cerebro-spinal  meningitis. 
Alfred  B.  Moulton,  Framingham,  Company  C,  Jan.  9,  '63,  cerebro-spinal 

meningitis. 
Josiah  Moody,  South  Hadley,  Company  F,  Jan.   14,  '63,  cerebro-spinal 

meningitis. 

Corporal  Adfur  J.  Upham,  Boston,  Company  G,  Jan.   18,  '63,  cerebro- 
spinal  meningitis. 


MEDICAL  AND   SURGICAL  NARRATIVE.  249 

George  F.  Boynton,  Dorchester,  Company  G,  Jan.  19,  '63,  cerebro-spinal 
meningitis. 

Walter  S.  Bradbury,  Cambridge,  Company  C,  Jan.  22,  '63,  cerebro-spinal 
meningitis. 

William  F.  Ingraham,  South  Hadley,  Company  F,  Jan.  24,  '63,  cerebro- 
spinal  meningitis. 

Sergeant  Albert  F.  Potter,  Newton,  Company  B,  Jan.  29,  '63,  cerebro- 
spinal  meningitis. 

George  B.  Young,  Andover,  Company  G,  Feb.  3,  '63,  cerebro-spinal  men 
ingitis. 

Francis  C.  Hopkinson,  Cambridge,  Company  F,  Feb.  13,  '63,  cerebro- 
spinal  meningitis. 

Charles  A.  Bradt,  Lowell,  Company  C,  Feb.  19,  '63,  cerebro-spinal  men 
ingitis. 

Ezra  N.  Fuller,  Needham,  Company  A,  Feb.  21,  '63,  measles. 

Sergt.  Charles  E.  Harwood,  Boston,  Company  I,  Feb.  26,  '63,  diphtheria. 

James  S.  Gilmore,  Walpole,  Company  K,  Feb.  26,  '63,  diphtheria. 

Otis  S.  Merrill,  North  Andover,  Company  C,  Mar.  2,  '63,  cerebro-spinal 
meningitis. 

Reuben  J.  Gilman,  Billerica,  Company  I,  Mar.  7,  '63,  cerebro-spinal  men 
ingitis. 

Surgeon  Robert  Ware,  Boston,  Apr.  10,  '63,  pneumonia. 

Edmund  L.  Cutter,  Weston,  Company  I,  Apr.  25,  '63,  pneumonia. 

Henry  F.  Melville,  Brighton,  Company  A,  May  15,  '63,  inflammation  of 
bowels. 

James  A.  Mickel,  Charlestown,  Company  K,  May  28,  '63,  pneumonia. 

Timothy  S.  Boynton,  Framingham,  Company  C,  June  8,  '63,  typhoid 
fever. 

Frank  B.  Hanson,  Boston,  Company  A,  June  u,  '63,  typhoid  fever. 

Matthew  Howard,  North  Andover,  Company  A,  June  17,  '63,  typhoid 
fever. 

Eben  R.  Buck,  Newton,  Company  B,  June  1 7,  '63,  typhoid  pneumonia. 

William  A.  Barnes,  Boston,  Company  H,  June  18,  '63,  typhoid  fever. 

Discharged  for  Disability. 

Capt.  Jacob  H.  Lombard,  Boston,   Company  C,  Resigned,  Jan.   14,  '63. 

Capt.  Frank  W.  Reynolds,  Boston,  "        K,  Dec.  28,  '62. 

Corp.  John  T.  Sargent,  Jr.,  Boston,  "        A,  Discharged,  Mar.    9,  '63. 

John  F.  Berry,  Boston     ....  "        A,  Feb.  14,  '63. 

John  W.  Greenwood,  Needham     .  "        A,  "  Apr.     i,  '63. 

Hiram  Hubbard,  Jr.,  Boston     .     .  "A,  Apr.  16,  '63. 

Albert  S.  May,  Needham      ...  "A,  Feb.  28,  '63. 

Henry  E.  Warner,  Boston    ...  "A,  Oct.     7,  '62. 

Henry  C.  Whittier,  Boston  ...  "A,  "  Jan.    14,  '63. 


250 


FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 


Corp.  George  W.  Lamson,  Newton,  Company 
John  Brennan,  Needham     .     .     . 
Stephen  M.  Dresser,  Newton   .     .  " 

Edward  P.  Kingsbury,  Newton  . 
Rodney  M.  Lucas,  Newton  .  . 
William  T.  Mullen,  Newton  .  . 
Bowman  G.  Salsbury,  Newton  .  . 
John  A.  Washburn,  Newton  .  . 
Frank  O.  Bradt,  Lowell  .... 
Charles  H.  Hiscock,  Cambridge  .  " 

Thomas  Holmes,  Lynn  .... 
Edward  F.  Mahoney,  Boston  .  . 
Charles  L.  Plummer,  Boston  .  . 
George  M.  Rollins,  Brookline  .  . 
David  J.  Thomas,  Boston  ...  " 

William  Ware,  Milton      .... 
J.  Albert  Blanchard,  West  Cambridge      " 
Charles  C.  Ewer,  Boston     .     .     . 
William  B.  Leatherbee,  Boston      .  " 

Theodore  L.  Barnes,  Waltham 
George  E.  Buttrick,  West  Roxbury          " 
William  Dean,  Waltham       ...  " 

Peter  F.  Jones,  Roxbury     ...  " 

Edward  Richardson,  Cambridge  .  " 

Charles  H.  Roberts,  Melrose  .     .  " 

William  F.  Sawyer,  Maiden      .     .  " 

Joshua  B.  Warren,  Boston        .     . 
George  W.  Wheelwright,  Jr.,  Roxbury    " 
Henry  A.  Clark,  South  Hadley     . 
Horace  E.  Learned,  Boston     .     .  " 

John  W.  Pitman,  Jr.,  Maiden   .     .  " 

George  S.  Sanford,  Sherborn    .     .  " 

Edwin  S.  Fisher,  Cambridge    .     .  " 

J.  Augustus  Hall,  Dorchester  .     .  " 

Francis  E.  Lincoln,  Boston      .     .  " 

Thomas  F.  Phipps,  Dorchester     .  " 

Joseph  M.  Bannister,  Framingham  " 

Allen  F.  Boone,  Winchester     .     .  " 

Austin  M.  Copp,  Maiden    ...  " 

Charles  H.  Fuller,  Framingham    . 
E.  Augustus  Jacobs,  South  Scituate 
Alonzo  E.  LeMoyne,  Boston    .     .  " 

Charles  C.  Rice,  Winchester    .     .  " 

Benjamin  F.  Bates,  Brewster    .     .  " 


B,  Discharged, 

Jan.   14,  '63. 

B, 

Jan.    30,  '63. 

B, 

Jan.    30,  '63. 

B, 

Sept.  25,  '62. 

B, 

Jan.    30,  '63. 

B, 

Mar.     9,  '63. 

B, 

Oct.     3,  '62. 

B, 

May   28,  '63. 

C, 

Mar.  14,  '63. 

C, 

Oct.     4,  '62. 

C            " 
*-> 

Sept.  30,  '62. 

C           " 

^J 

Jan.    31/63. 

C            " 

^> 

Oct.      7,  '62. 

C            " 

^> 

Apr.    15,  '63. 

c, 

Apr.    15,  '63. 

C, 

Mar.  14,  '63. 

D, 

Mar.    9,  '63. 

D, 

May     6,  '63. 

D, 

Oct.     3,  '62. 

E, 

Apr.     3,  '63. 

E, 

Mar.    9,  '63. 

E, 

Nov.    3,  '62. 

E, 

Mar.    9,  '63. 

E, 

Mar.  24,  '63. 

E, 

Jan.    14,  '63. 

E, 

Oct.     3,  '62. 

E, 

Oct.      i,  '62. 

E, 

Oct.     3,  '62. 

F,    -      •' 

Oct.     4,  '62. 

F, 

Oct.     4,  '62. 

F, 

Oct.     4,  '62. 

F, 

Jan.    23,  '63. 

G, 

May   1  8,  '63. 

G, 

Oct.     6,  '62. 

G, 

Mar.  31,  '63. 

G, 

Oct.     6,  '62. 

H, 

Mar.     9,  '63. 

H, 

June     5,  '63. 

H, 

Oct.      2,  '62. 

H, 

Mar.    9,  '63. 

H, 

Mar.  13,  '63. 

H, 

Jan.    17,  '63. 

H, 

Apr.    14,  '63. 

I, 

Apr.      i,  '63. 

MEDICAL   AND    SURGICAL  NARRATIVE.  251 

Edward  H.  Judkins,  Boston     .     .   Company  I,  Discharged,  Sept.  30,  '62. 

Herbert  B.  Richardson,  Weston    .  "        I,  May   18,  '63. 

Forrest  L.  Whittredge,  Boston .     .  "I,  "           May     i,  '63. 

Charles  E.  Wyett,  Boston    ...  "I,  May  18,  '63. 

William  Bowers,  Boston       ...  "        K,  Feb.     7,  '63. 

Guy  Boyce,  Sherborn      ....  "        K,  Jan.    14,  '63. 

Ithamar  W.  Copeland,  Dedham    .  "        K,  Jan.    14,  '63. 

Charles  M.  Garland,  Boston     .     .                    K,  "  Jan.    31,  '63. 

George  W.  Nickerson,  Walpole     .  "       K,  Jan.    14,  '63. 

Thomas  Seavey,  West  Roxbury     .  "        K,  Jan.    31,  '63. 

James  W.  Spinney,  Sherborn    .     .  "        K,  "          Jan.    14,  '63. 

Joseph  T.  Stedman,  Roxbury  .     .  "       K,  "          Feb.  17, '63. 

Invalid  Guard. 

Corporal  Charles  A.  Yendell,  Jr.,  Boston Company  A. 

Matthew  Howard,  North  Andover "          A. 

Henry  C.  Whittier,  Boston A. 

Antonio  J.  Fayes,  Newton "          B. 

Richard  T.  Robinson,  Cambridge "          C. 

Isaac  R.  Stearns,  Chelsea "          C. 

Horace  P.  Tuttle,  Cambridge "          D. 

James  A.  Blanchard,  West  Cambridge "          D. 

Levi  Kenerson,  Hingham D. 

George  L.  Dyer,  Boston E. 

William  E.  Copeland,  Roxbury  .     .     '. F. 

Peter  R.  Guthrie,  Boston "          G. 

Charles  L.  LeCain,  Dorchester G. 

T.  Robinson  Harris,  Cambridge "          G. 

Lyman  J.  Sawyer.  Boston "     .    G. 

Heman  H.  Belcher,  Framingham H. 

Rufus  C.  Bruce,  Framingham H. 

Matthias  J.  Moore,  Boston "         H. 

Alonzo  E.  LeMoyne,  Boston H. 

Henry  W.  Webster,  Cambridge "         H. 

Theodore  Pinkham,  Chelsea I. 

Lawrence  Rhoades,  Boston I. 

Guy  Boyce,  Sherborn K. 

James  W.  Spinney,  Sherborn K. 

George  W.  Nickerson,  Walpole "         K. 


252 


FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 


GENERAL    SUMMARY    OF    SICK    REPORTS,    FORTY-FOURTH 
REGIMENT,    M.  V.  M. 


Month. 

WHOLE  NUMBER   UNDER 
TREATMENT. 

DAILY  AVERAGE  NUMBER. 

Sick. 

Wounded 
or  injured. 

Total. 

In  hos 
pital. 

In  quar 
ters. 

Total. 

1862. 

October      

172 
272 
283 

309 
215 
240 

161 
265 

34 
65 
48 

28 

21 

8 

7 
o 

205 

337 
331 

337 
236 
248 
1  68 
265 

5 
"3 

21 

2O 
21 
19 
15 

16 

7 
27 

64 

S2. 
46 

43 
27 
28 

12 

40 
85 

72 
67 
62 
42 

44 

November      

1863. 

February    ...... 

April      

May       

Total    

i,9T7 
240 

211 
26 

2,128 
266 

130 
16 

294 
37 

424 
53 

Monthly  average     .     . 

Pension  Claims  of  all  Classes  admitted. 

Matthew  R.  Meagher,1  Boston Company  A. 

John  F.  Berry,  Boston " 

Albert  S.  May,  Needham " 

John  W.  Greenwood,  Needham " 

Henry  C.  Whittier,  Boston " 

James  M.  Richardson,1  Hubbardston " 

A  in  os  K.  Tappan,  Boston " 

Francis  B.  Hanson,1  Boston " 

John  Brennan,  Needham " 

John  A.  Washburn,  Newton " 

George  N.  Hill,1  Newton " 

Eben  R.  Buck,1  Newton " 

John  R.  Holmes,1  Newton     .     .- " 

James  S.  Withington,1  Newton " 

Samuel  B.  Hadley,1  Boston ' .     .     .     .  " 

George  H.  Ray,1  Boston " 

Walter  S.  Bradbury,1  Cambridge " 

Antonio  F.  Polio,1  Boston     ....                    .     .  " 


A. 
A. 
A. 
A. 
A. 
A. 
A. 
B. 
B. 
B. 
B. 
B. 
B. 
C. 
C. 
C. 
C. 


1  Deceased. 


MEDICAL  AND    SURGICAL   NARRATIVE.  253 

Otis  S.  Merrill,1  North  Andover Company  C. 

George  H.  Hobart,  Newton "  D. 

Theodore  L.  Barnes,1  Waltham "  E. 

James  W.  Lovejoy,  Cambridge "  E. 

Charles  H.  Roberts,  Melrose "  E. 

Albert  K.  Page,1  Boston E. 

John  H.  Hanson,  Boston "  F. 

Edwin  S.  Fisher,  Boston "  G. 

John  Leonard,  Roxbury "  G. 

Theodore  J.  Lawrence,  Boston "  G. 

Henry  G.  Kimball,1  Andover "  G. 

George  B.  Young,1  Andover "  G. 

Elisha  A.  Jacobs,  South  Scituate H. 

Richard  V.  De  Peyster,1  Framingham "  H. 

Edward  C.  Crosby,  Framingham "  H. 

Edward  S.  Hemmenway,  Framingham "  H. 

Alonzo  E.  LeMoyne,1  Boston H. 

Frank  W.  Clapp,1  Holliston H. 

Benjamin  F.  Bates,  Brewster "  I. 

Edwin  P.  Upham,  Weston u  I. 

Michael  Shaughnessy,  Cambridge "  I. 

George  W.  Nickerson,  Walpole "  K. 

James  W.  Spinney,1  Walpole "  K. 

Ithamar  W.  Copeland,  Dedham "  K. 

Thomas  Seavey,  West  Roxbury "  K. 

William  L.  Mitchel,1  Sherborn K. 

George  E.  Noyes,1  West  Roxbury "  K. 

Joseph  F.  Stedman,  Roxbury "  K. 

Pension  Claims  of  all  Classes  pending. 

George  W.  Lovejoy,  Andover Company  A. 

Henry  Ingraham,  Framingham "  A. 

John  G.  Whitmarsh,  Needham "  A. 

Frederick  T.  Brown,  Boston "  A. 

D.  Tyler  Newcomb,1  Medford "  A. 

\Villiam  T.  Mullen,1  Newton "  B. 

Samuel  H.  White,  Quincy "  B. 

Rodney  M.  Lucas,  Newton "  B. 

John  G.  Erhart,  Newton "  B. 

Seth  T.  Snipe,  Newton "  B. 

William  M.  Rogers,  Newton "  B. 

William  W.  Robinson,  Newton       "  B. 

Charles  A.  Belcher,1  Newton .  "  B. 

1  Deceased. 


254  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

William  H.  Belcher,1  Newton Company  B. 

Jacob  H.  Lombard,1  Boston "          C. 

Zenas  T.  Haines,  Strong,  Maine "          D. 

Edward  W.  Crane,  Boston "          D. 

Charles  C.  Ewer,1  Boston "          D. 

Franklin  D.  Magoun,  Cambridge E. 

Francis  C.  Hopkinson,1  Cambridge "           F. 

Samuel  Moore,1  Wayland "          G. 

Thomas  McCarty,  West  Roxbury "          G. 

Hezekiah  N.  Brown,1  Wayland "          G. 

Rufus  C.  Bruce,  Framingham "          H- 

Christopher  Riley,  Framingham H. 

Nathaniel  J.  Foster,  Kingston I. 

Lawrence  Rhoades,  Boston I. 

Samuel  H.  Corlis,  Weston I. 

William  A.  Jessop,  Wayland "          K. 

William  W.  Wild,  Leominster "          K. 

Walter  Bailey,  Needham "          K. 

Albert  Fisher,  Walpole "          K. 

William  P.  Sanderson,  West  Roxbury "          K. 

James  S.  Gil  more,  Walpole K. 

James  A.  Mickel,1  Charlestown K. 

1  Deceased. 


o,, 


•-     \ 


FIELDS  STAFF 
OFFICERS 


VLACE  ^ 


1S62. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

PERSONNEL. 

Forty-fourth  Regiment  pre 
sented  the  usual  entertaining 
variety  in  its  ranks  as  to  age, 
position,  and  occupation.  The 
average  age,  on  recruiting, 
was  twenty-two  years  seven 
months ;  Company  E  being 
the  youngest,  with  an  aver 
age  of  twenty-one  years  five 
months;  Company  B,  the 
most  venerable,  with  an  aver 
age  of  twenty-four  years  seven 
months.  Looking  at  occupa 
tions,  in  Company  C,  seventy-nine  out  of  one  hundred  were 
mercantile  clerks;  in  Companies  D,  G,  and  E,  the  clerks  were 
in  a  great  majority ;  in  Company  B,  there  was  an  equal  number 
of  clerks  and  of  laborers  (twenty  each)  ;  in  Company  F,  there 
were  twenty-two  Harvard  College  students.  In  the  entire  regi 
ment  there  were  four  hundred  and  fifty  clerks,  one  hundred  and 
eight  farmers,  seventy-five  college  students.  Forty-five  occupa 
tions  in  all  were  represented  in  the  regiment,  including  carpen 
ters,  merchants,  hotel-keepers,  blacksmiths,  musicians,  barbers, 
lawyers,  astronomers,  and  cooks.  There  was  the  same  number 
of  civil  engineers  and  of  butchers  (seven)  ;  the  same  number  of 
editors  and  of  bakers  (two)  ;  the  same  number  of  musicians  and 
of  upholsterers  (three)  ;  nearly  the  same  number  of  artists  (eigh 
teen)  and  of  shoemakers  (sixteen)  ;  precisely  the  same  number 
of  clergymen  and  of  coachmen  (three). 

The  individuality  of  character  was  even  more  marked  than  the 
variety  of  callings,  and  could  be  fully  appreciated  only  by  those 


256  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

whose  good  fortune  it  was  to  spend  month  after  month  in  such 
bright,  amusing,  and  stimulating  companionship.  The  quality 
of  these  common  soldiers  and  their  officers  (for  there  was  little 
difference,  in  this  respect,  between  officers  and  men)  can  best 
be  judged  from  the  character  of  those  whom  we  lost;  and  it  is  to 
these,  in  our  reminiscences  of  the  past,  that  our  thoughts  first 
turn.  In  the  statistical  tables  which  follow  will  be  found  the 
exact  record  of  our  losses ;  let  me  give  here  such  brief  allusions 
to  the  individuals  themselves  as  I  have  been  able  to  gather.  If 
of  the  living  we  cannot  say  all  that  we  could  wish,  of  the  dead 
we  are  privileged  to  speak  unreservedly. 

Of  those  who  died  during  the  campaign  no  loss  was  more 
keenly  felt  by  both  officers  and  men  than  that  of  Surgeon  Robert 
Ware.  Of  all  the  memories  that  come  back  to  us  from  those 
troubled  months,  none  is  more  beautiful  than  that  of  this  pure- 
souled,  refined,  high-minded  officer,  going  his  rounds  of  labor 
with  tireless  devotion  and  winning  the  respect  and  admira 
tion  of  all  for  his  noble  conception  of  a  soldier's  duty.  Dr. 
Ware  had  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1853,  and  from 
the  Harvard  Medical  School  in  1856,  and  was  in  rapidly  rising 
practice  in  Boston  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war.  His  first  ser 
vice  was  in  connection  with  the  Sanitary  Commission,  which  he 
joined  as  inspector  in  1861,  acting  in  that  capacity  during  the 
disastrous  and  soul-trying  scenes  of  the  Peninsular  Campaign. 
No  officer  in  the  army  was  more  keenly  alive  than  he  to 
official  shortcomings  and  abuses,  or  more  outspoken,  at  proper 
times  and  places,  in  denouncing  them ;  yet  none  showed  readier 
resources  or  quicker  wit  in  improvising  means  for  meeting  the 
terrible  exigencies  of  that  campaign,  or  in  making  the  hospital 
provision  for  half  a  dozen  patients  serve  the  needs  of  a  hundred. 
His  unsleeping  attention  to  the  \vounded,  as  they  came  pouring 
in  from  the  field  to  the  transports,  and  his  cheerful,  indefatigable 
toil  in  the  hospital,  by  the  ambulance,  and  at  the  boat,  profoundly 
impressed  his  co-laborers  in  the  Sanitary  Commission,  and  called 
out  the  most  touching  testimonials  of  gratitude  and  appreciation.1 

1  See  the  sketch  entitled  "The  United  States  Sanitary  Commission,"  prepared  for 
the  Boston  Fair,  December,  1863,  page  89;  also  the  little  book  called  "Hospital 
Transports." 


PERSONNEL.  257 

As  a  regimental  surgeon,  Dr.  Ware  possessed  qualities  rarely 
united  in  one  man ;  having  tender  sympathies  and  the  finest 
delicacy  of  feeling,  yet  exacting  of  the  men  the  strictest  observ 
ance  of  sanitary  regulations,  and  pitilessly  exposing  all  their 
shams.  Though  resenting  his  severity  at  first,  the  soldiers  found 
at  once  that  it  was  only  the  impostors  who  had  anything  to 
dread,  and  soon  learned  to  trust  his  skill,  to  appreciate  his  fidel 
ity,  and  to  recognize  the  dignity  and  unselfish  purity  of  his  char 
acter.  His  last  illness  was  brought  on,  during  the  siege  of  "  Little  " 
Washington,  by  the  unusual  labors  required  of  him  among  the 
negroes,  as  well  as  in  his  own  regiment,  to  which,  as  usual,  he 
gave  himself  unsparingly.  He  died,  April  10,  1863,  in  his  thir 
tieth  year. 

Major  Charles  W.  Dabney,  who  came  of  the  family  so  long 
and  so  honorably  known  in  connection  with  the  American  con 
sulship  at  Fayal,  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1844,  and  was 
engaged  in  active  business  in  Boston  when  the  call  for  nine  months' 
troops  was  made.  No  one  was  more  active  or  eager  than  he  in 
organizing  the  regiment,  and  no  officer  served  more  efficiently 
than  he  through  all  our  campaigns.  He  retired  to  civil  life  at 
the  close  of  our  service,  carrying  with  him  the  deep  affection  of 
his  army  comrades,  to  add  to  the  esteem  and  confidence  he  had 
already  won  and  was  still  to  win  from  his  business  associates  and 
friends.  Indeed,  he  was  a  man  from  whom  entire  trust  and  affec 
tion  could  not  be  withheld.  The  rare  combination  of  the  finer 
and  manlier  qualities  in  his  nature  was  irresistibly  engaging.  Im 
pressing  every  one  at  first  by  the  exquisite  and  almost  feminine 
gentleness  of  his  bearing,  he  soon  disclosed  himself  as  one  to 
look  to  in  emergencies  where  only  courage  and  endurance  tell. 
He  seemed  as  noteworthy  for  toughness  of  moral  fibre  as  for 
delicacy.  The  stories  told  of  his  coolness  and  pluck  in  critical 
hours  were  innumerable.  His  was  the  great  privilege  through 
life  of  surrounding  himself  with  appreciative  friends.  The  sad 
news  of  his  death  in  England,  seven  years  after  he  left  the  army, 
called  out  charming  tributes,  full  of  genuine  feeling,  from  every 
hand.  From  a  very  striking  notice  in  the  "  Boston  Advertiser" 
of  Jan.  17,  1871,  written  by  one  who  knew  him  well,  I  take  these 
brief  extracts :  — 

17 


258  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

"  While  all  the  parts  of  his  character  fitted  well  together,  his  scale  was 
large,  and  he  was  full  of  strength  and  hearty  vigor,  ...  the  most  trustworthy 
of  men,  in  whose  hands  you  would  place  all  that  you  possess,  from  fortune 
to  reputation.  The  most  sympathetic  in  joy  or  sorrow,  the  most  faithful 
in  the  performance  of  duties ;  a  very  rare  man,  and  yet  so  natural  as  to  be 
a  compliment  to  his  race.  .  .  .  His  life  was,  for  the  most  part,  a  fortunate 
and  happy  one.  He  amassed  a  large  fortune  of  respect  and  affection, 
which  he  invested  securely  in  the  memories  of  many  friends." 

Major  Dabney's  physical  constitution  was  very  vigorous,  and 
he  resisted  the  influences  of  climate  and  exposure  to  which  so 
many  of  his  comrades  succumbed ;  but  he  was  never  quite  well 
after  the  war,  and  the  great  excitement  and  exhaustion  caused 
by  the  burning  of  his  house  and  his  efforts  to  save  it,  in  1867, 
made  him  soon  afterwards  an  easy  victim  to  the  disease  which 
attacked  him.  He  died  of  pneumonia,  in  Malvern,  England, 
Dec.  22,  1870,  in  his  forty-eighth  year.  Funeral  services  were 
held  in  the  Church  of  the  Disciples,  Boston,  Jan.  17,  1871. 

Adjutant  Wallace  Hinckley,  the  youngest  and  gayest  of  our 
military  household  at  headquarters,  whom  we  remember  for  the 
buoyancy  and  evident  enjoyment  with  which  he  threw  himself 
into  the  soldier's  work,  received  his  education  and  training  in 
the  Highland  Military  Academy  of  Worcester,  Mass.  After  serv 
ing  the  Forty-fourth  Regiment  with  admirable  efficiency  dur 
ing  its  earlier  experiences,  and  endearing  himself  to  his  com 
panions  by  his  amiable  and  happy  traits,  he  left  us  to  become 
adjutant  of  the  Second  Massachusetts  Heavy  Artillery,  in  which 
capacity  he  made  for  himself  an  honorable  record  through 
out  the  war.  He  died  of  malarial  fever,  in  Beaufort,  N.  C., 
Sept.  4,  1 865.1 

Quartermaster  Francis  Bush,  Jr.,  was  a  most  faithful  and  dili 
gent  officer  in  a  very  harassing  branch  of  military  service,  and 
secured  the  hearty  good-will  of  his  comrades  by  his  frank  and 
obliging  ways.  He  returned  to  civil  life  after  the  disbanding  of 
our  regiment,  and  became  eventually  the  sole  member  of  the  old 
and  well-known  firm  of  Bent  &  Bush,  in  Boston.  A  few  years 
after  resuming  his  business  cares  his  health  began  to  fail  him, 
and  in  the  summer  of  1874  his  friends  were  startled  by  his  sudden 
1  For  fuller  notice  of  Adjutant  Hinckley,  see  chap.  xv. 


PERSONNEL.  259 

death.  The  notices  of  his  death  bore  testimony  to  the  regard 
in  which  he  was  held  by  the  community  both  as  a  merchant  and 
as  a  friend.  "  Both  in  social  and  in  business  circles,"  says  one  of 
these  tributes,  "  he  was  respected  and  loved  as  only  the  noblest 
men  and  most  honorable  merchants  can  hope  to  be;  and  the 
memory  which  he  leaves  behind  is  of  that  precious  kind  \vhich 
requires  no  effort  to  keep  green."  He  died  of  heart-disease,  at 
the  Isles  of  Shoals,  Aug.  16,  1874. 

Of  those  who  were  killed  in  battle  or  died  of  their  wounds, 
during  our  service,  I  have  been  able  to  gather  only  the  follow 
ing  facts :  — 

Charles  Morse  of  Company  E,  who  was  killed  in  our  first 
skirmish  at  Rawle's  Mill,  enlisted  from  Framingham  at  the  age 
of  nineteen,  and  had  been  a  driver  in  the  employ  of  the  Adams 
Express  Company.  He  was  killed  instantly,  Sunday  evening, 
Nov.  2,  1872,  and  was  buried,  with  Charles  E.  Rollins  of 
Company  C,  in  a  grave  close  by  the  little  building  used  that 
evening  as  a  hospital.1 

Sergeant  Ambrose  Stacy  Courtis  of  Company  C,  a  graduate  of 
the  Cambridge  High  School,  was  in  a  counting-room  in  Boston  at 
the  time  of  his  enlistment.  His  period  of  service,  short  though 
it  was,  seems  to  have  been  long  enough  to  inspire  his  com 
rades  with  admiration  of  his  cheerfulness  under  hardships,  his 
consideration  for  others,  and  his  gentlemanly  traits  of  charac 
ter.  His  appointment  as  sergeant  gave  the  greatest  satisfaction 
to  the  company,  and  his  death  was  a  sad  event  among  compan 
ions  who  had  learned  in  a  few  weeks'  campaign  to  love  and  trust 
him.  He  was  killed  instantly  in  the  battle  of  Whitehall,  Dec.  16, 
1862,  in  his  twenty-first  year. 

Albert  L.  Butler  of  Company  A  was  clerk  of  the  Cambridge 
Police  Court  at  the  time  of  enlistment,  and  went  into  the  war, 
like  so  many  others,  to  insure  the  freedom  of  the  slave.  His 
motives  seem  to  have  been  of  the  highest  and  purest,  and  his 
conduct  as  a  soldier  won  the  hearty  approval  of  his  officers. 

1  A  letter  from  the  superintendent  of  the  soldiers'  cemetery  at  New  Berne,  dated 
May  25,  1885,  reports  that  the  bodies  of  Rollins  and  Morse  were  disinterred  last 
year,  and  found  in  such  state  of  preservation  that  it  was  easy  to  identify  them. 
They  are  now  buried  in  the  cemetery  and  their  graves  numbered. 


260  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

"  Your  son  was  brave,"  wrote  Captain  Richardson  to  the  be 
reaved  mother,  "  and  did  his  duty  nobly  fighting  for  his  coun 
try."  His  comrades,  too,  bore  witness  to  his  calmness  under  fire 
and  the  fortitude  with  which  he  endured  his  sufferings.  He  was 
wounded  at  Whitehall,  and  died  in  the  ambulance  which  was 
carrying  him  from  the  field.  He  died  in  his  thirty-first  year.1 

David  Kimball  Hobart  of  Company  G  was  born  in  Boston  in 
1835,  and  graduated  from  the  Boston  High  School  at  sixteen,  to 
enter  on  a  business  career.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  estab 
lished  himself  as  a  merchant  in  McGregor,  Iowa,  where  he  be 
came  mayor  of  the  city,  but  had  returned  to  Boston  just  before 
the  war.  Preferring  the  position  of  private  with  his  companions 
in  the  Forty-fourth  to  a  commission  elsewhere,  he  had  become 
orderly  sergeant  of  his  company  at  the  time  of  his  last  engage 
ment.  He  was  wounded  in  a  skirmish  at  "  Little  "  Washington, 
March  30,  1863,  and  with  two  other  wounded  men  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy,  and  was  taken  first  to  the  Confederate  hos 
pital  at  Greenville,  then  to  that  at  Wilson,  N.  C.  Whatever  may 
have  been  the  experiences  of  the  Union  prisoners  elsewhere, 
nothing  could  have  exceeded  the  kindness  or  skilful  medical 
attention  received  by  Hobart  at  both  these  hospitals.  He  had 
the  gentlest  of  nursing,  the  best  of  care  from  the  surgeons,  fre 
quent  visits  from  ministers,  and  daily  gifts  of  flowers  from  the 
women  of  the  neighborhood.  He  had  been  shot  through  the 
lungs;  but  the  native  vigor  of  his  constitution,  aided  by  such 
devoted  ministrations,  prolonged  his  life  for  many  days.  He 
died  April  14,  1863,  in  his  twenty-eighth  year,  and  was  honorably 
buried  in  the  hospital  cemetery  at  Wilson.2 

The  Surgeon's  Report,  in  another  chapter,  gives  the  sad  list  of 
the  brave,  uncomplaining  men  who  were  not  permitted  to  fall  in 
battle,  but  died  in  the  regimental  or  general  hospital  at  New 
Berne.  No  words  that  we  can  write  to-day  can  do  justice  to  the 
patient  and  heroic  suffering  witnessed  by  those  who  visited  our 
soldiers  in  those  trying  hours.  A  soldier's  death  in  the  hospital 

1  An  interesting  incident  connected  with  the  death  of  George  E.  Noyes  of  Com 
pany  K,  who  was  also  wounded  at  Whitehall,  will  be  found  in  the  chapter  contributed 
by  the  surgeon. 

2  See  "  Conditions  of  Peace  : "  a  discourse  delivered  in  the  West  Church  (Boston), 
in  memory  of  David  K.  Hobart,  June  14,  1863,  by  C.  A.  Bartol. 


PERSONNEL.  26 1 

is  always  sadder  than  death  upon  the  field ;  and  although  in  our 
case  the  trials  of  sickness  were  reduced  to  a  minimum  by  the 
excellence  of  the  medical  arrangements  and  the  skill  and  devo 
tion  of  the  surgeons,  many  touching  memories  come  back  to  us 
as  we  recall  this  portion  of  our  experiences.  I  can  only  allude 
to  the  two  or  three  cases  about  which  I  have  been  able  to  get 
special  information. 

Ezra  N.  Fuller,  of  Needham,  Company  A,  left  Tufts  College  to 
enter  the  Forty-fourth  Regiment,  served  faithfully  through  all 
our  marches  and  engagements,  and  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen, 
in  Stanley  Hospital,  Feb.  21,  1863,  —  the  year  in  which  he  would 
otherwise  have  graduated  from  college.  His  remains  were  sent 
home  to  Needham,  where  the  burial  took  place  March  12,  1863. 
His  classmates,  together  with  the  president  and  faculty  of  the 
college,  were  present  at  the  funeral.  Of  this  same  company, 
Matthew  Howard  will  be  remembered  as  a  tall  Irishman  of  six 
feet  four  inches,  and  of  great  strength.  He  was  left  behind  in 
Stanley  Hospital,  with  seven  or  eight  others,  and  died  at  about 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  within  a  week  after  his  comrades  were 
mustered  out  of  service. 

Few  deaths  in  the  regiment  caused  more  sorrow  than  that  of 
Francis  C.  Hopkinson  of  Company  F.  Hopkinson  graduated 
from  Harvard  College  in  1859,  after  a  brilliant  course  of  study 
both  in  college  and  at  the  Boston  Latin  School,  took  prominent 
part  as  a  young  orator  in  the  political  campaign  which  resulted 
in  Lincoln's  election,  and  had  just  finished  his  course  in  the  Har 
vard  Law  School  when  the  call  for  nine  months'  troops  was 
made.  Entering  the  Forty-fourth  Regiment  with  many  of  his 
college  companions,  he  brought  the  same  qualities  which  had 
signalized  him  among  his  fellows  in  school  and  college  into  the 
new  experiences  of  camp  life.  Among  many  tributes  to  his 
memory  from  his  army  comrades,  these  words  show  the  marked 
esteem  in  which  he  was  held,  under  circumstances  where  only 
manly  qualities  can  win  esteem :  "  We  shall  remember  him  as  a 
leader  among  us,  always  recognized  as  such  for  his  acknowledged 
talents,  even  though  he  was  only  a  private.  We  shall  delight  to 
remember  him  as  a  true,  fearless,  resolute,  patient  soldier,  setting 
an  example  of  fidelity,  bravery,  and  unyielding  pluck.  None  will 


262  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

forget  his  generosity,  and  the  many  ways  he  devised  to  keep  up 
the  morale  as  well  as  amuse  the  company."  He  died  of  typhoid 
fever,  in  Stanley  Hospital,  Feb.  13,  1863,  in  his  twenty-fifth  year.1 

Turning  to  those  who  died  in  the  service  after  having  re- 
enlisted  in  other  regiments,  we  think  first  of  all,  naturally,  of 
the  brave  officers  of  the  Massachusetts  Fifty-fourth,  as  the  first 
raising  of  negro  regiments  concerned  our  regiment  so  closely. 
While  in  camp  at  New  Berne  an  official  communication  from 
Governor  Andrew,  dated  Feb.  18,  1863,  was  received  by  Colonel 
Lee,  saying,  "  We  are  raising  a  black  regiment,  the  Fifty-fourth, 
under  Colonel  Robert  G.  Shaw,  and  want  the  very  best  officers. 
If  you  can  recommend  the  following  officers,  I  shall  be  obliged 
by  your  finding  some  means  to  send  them  up  promptly,  on 
leave  or  otherwise."  A  lieutenant  and  two  sergeants  of  the 
Forty-fourth  are  mentioned  for  this  service,  and  the  letter  adds: 
"  We  consider  it  a  great  compliment  to  offer  a  commission  in 
this  regiment,  and  do  not  wish  you  to  make  the  offer  unless  it 
is  likely  to  be  accepted.  We  mean  to  make  it  a  model  regi 
ment."  Colonel  Lee  responded  promptly  to  this  appeal,  sending 
the  officers  asked  for,  and  recommending  several  others  for  the 
same  service.  In  a  postscript  to  his  letter  to  Governor  Andrew, 
under  date  of  Feb.  27,  1863,  he  says:  "I  believe  the  regiment 
is  a  mine  of  military  wealth  to  the  State;  and  if  my  belief  is 
correct,  the  object  which  its  officers  have  always  had  in  view 
and  labored  to  accomplish  is  attained,  and  they  may  well  thank 
you  for  the  privilege  they  have  enjoyed  in  being  instrumental 
in  such  a  result." 

The  first  instalment  of  officers  was  soon  followed  by  others,  at 
the  special  request  of  Colonel  Shaw.  In  one  of  several  letters 
written  on  this  subject,  Colonel  Shaw  says  (April  8,  1863):  "If 
you  send  me  such  officers  in  future  as  those  who  have  already 
come  from  your  regiment,  there  is  no  doubt  of  my  having  a  well- 
drilled  and  well-disciplined  regiment.  They  are  all  excellent  offi 
cers,  and  -  -  is  one  of  the  most  efficient  of  men." 

The  result  of  this  then  novel  and  doubtful  experiment  more 
than  realized,  as  is  well  known,  Governor  Andrew's  enthusiastic 
expectation  ;  and  it  is  a  great  pleasure  to  remember  the  important 

1  See  Harvard  Memorial  Biographies,  vol.  ii.  p.  21. 


PERSONNEL.  263 

contributions  made  by  the  Forty-fourth  to  the  equipment  of  these 
first  colored  regiments  recruited  under  State  authority.  In  the 
Fifty-fourth  and  Fifty-fifth  Massachusetts,  as  the  tabular  state 
ments  will  show,  were  eventually  one  colonel,  one  lieutenant- 
colonel,  twelve  captains,  and  seven  lieutenants  from  the  Forty- 
fourth.1  One  of  these  was  brevetted  brigadier-general  for  gallant 
service  at  the  battle  of  Honey  Hill,  S.  C.,  where  he  was  severely 
wounded  and  supposed  at  the  time  to  have  been  killed.  A  cor 
respondent  of  a  Southern  paper  ("  Savannah  Republican,"  Dec.  3, 
1864),  in  an  account  of  this  disastrous  engagement,  says:  "We 
made  a  visit  to  the  field  the  day  following,  and  found  the  swamp 
and  road  literally  strewn  with  the  dead.  Some  eight  or  ten 
bodies  were  floating  in  the  water  where  the  road  crosses,  and  in 
a  ditch  on  the  roadside  just  beyond  we  saw  six  negroes  piled  one 
on  top  of  the  other.  A  colonel 2  of  one  of  the  negro  regiments, 
with  his  horse,  was  killed  while  fearlessly  leading  his  men  across 
the  creek  in  a  charge." 

In  the  assault  upon  Fort  Wagner  of  July  18,  1863,  the  Fifty- 
fourth  Massachusetts  led  the  column,  and  lost, -besides  its  heroic 
colonel,  two  of  the  young  men,  Russel  and  Simpkins,  who  had 
so  recently  been  sent  them  from  the  ranks  of  the  Forty-fourth. 
Cabot  J.  Russel  entered  Harvard  College  with  the  class  which 
graduated  in  1865,  and  was  accompanying  a  scientific  party  in  a 
trip  over  the  Western  prairies,  when  the  seven  days'  battle  before 
Richmond  inspired  him  with  a  desire  to  enter  the  army,  where 
some  of  his  friends  had  already  fallen.  He  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  the  Forty-fourth  Regiment,  and  had  become  sergeant  of  Com 
pany  F,  when  the  request  for  officers  came  from  Governor 
Andrew.  Sergeant  Russel  was  one  of  the  first  three  recom 
mended  by  Colonel  Lee  for  this  service,  and  received  his  com 
mission  as  first  lieutenant  of  the  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts, 
March  23,  1863.  May  11  he  became  captain.  In  both  regiments 
he  showed  himself  an  admirable  soldier,  and  drew  his  comrades 
and  officers  to  him  by  his  frank  and  engaging  personal  qualities. 
In  the  Fifty-fourth  he  rendered  excellent  service  in  drilling  the 

1  The  ranks  here  given  are  those  finally  reached. 

2  This   colonel   was   Captain   William   D.  Crane,  aid  to   Colonel   Hartwell,  and 
formerly  a  private  in  Company  D  of  the  Forty-fourth. 


264  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

new  recruits,  and  his  company  became  noted  for  its  thorough 
discipline.  He  gave  himself  with  the  utmost  fidelity  to  his  work, 
being  anxious  only  that  his  black  soldiers  should  do  themselves 
credit  and  justify  by  their  behavior  the  experiment  which  the 
Government  was  making.  He  was  with  them  just  long  enough 
to  see  them  tried  in  one  severe  engagement  where,  out  of  seventy 
men,  forty-five  were  lost,  and  where  he  was  fully  satisfied  by  their 
soldierly  conduct.  He  wrote  to  his  father  in  the  last  letter  re 
ceived  from  him,  "  My  men  did  nobly."  Their  young  com 
mander  also  did  nobly,  according  to  the  testimony  of  his  brother 
officers,  one  of  whom  wrote  afterwards  that  "  Captain  Russel 
took  part  in  the  sharp  skirmish  on  James  Island,  July  16,  where 
his  company  bore  the  brunt  of  the  battle,  and  he  showed  dis 
tinguished  ability  and  courage."  Two  days  after  this,  in  the  fatal 
assault  on  Fort  Wagner,  when  again  his  company  held  the  most 
dangerous  post,  he  displayed  the  same  coolness  and  gallantry, 
and  fell  at  the  head  of  the  assaulting  column  and  was  left  upon 
the  field.  It  was  learned  afterwards  that  the  officers  and  sol 
diers  of  the  negro  regiments  were  buried  together  by  the  Con 
federates  in  a  common  trench.1  "  No  stone  need  mark  the  place 
where  his  bones  moulder,"  says  his  biographer,  "for  future 
generations  will  reverently  point  to  the  holy  ground  where  the 
colonel  and  two  captains  of  the  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  were 
buried  with  their  soldiers."  2 

The  other  captain  \vas  W.  H.  Simpkins,  an  intimate  friend  of 
Russel's  in  both  regiments,  who  was  killed  while  in  the  act  of 
ministering  to  his  comrade  in  his  dying  moments.  Simpkins, 
Russel,  and  Sergeant  G.  W.  James  formed  a  little  group  of  kin 
dred  spirits  in  Company  F  of  the  Forty-fourth  Regiment,  who  had 
talked  over  together  the  question  of  employing  colored  troops 
long  before  the  experiment  was  first  tried,  and  all  of  whom  were 
ready  to  engage  in  the  work  as  soon  as  officers  were  called  for. 
They  all  won  for  themselves  an  enviable  record  during  their 
brief  service ;  two  of  them  were  killed  together  at  Fort  Wagner, 
while  James,  the  adjutant  of  the  regiment,  was  severely  wounded 
in  the  same  battle,  and  has  since  died. 

1  See  Harvard  Memorial  Biographies,  vol.  ii.  p.  211. 

2  See  Ibid.,  p.  491. 


PERSONNEL.  265 

In  regard  to  those  killed  in  other  regiments  than  the  Fifty- 
fourth,  the  following  facts  have  been  obtained  :- 

A.  VV.  Bussell,  Company  K,  re-enlisted  in  the  Massachusetts 
Fifty-eighth,  and  was  killed  at  Petersburg,  Va.  W.  D.  Crane, 
Company  D,  a  member  of  the  class  of  1863,  Harvard  College, 
re-enlisted  June  7,  1863,  in  the  newly  recruited  colored  regiment 
(Massachusetts  Fifty-fifth),  was  commissioned  first  lieutenant  and 
immediately  afterwards  captain,  served  with  conspicuous  gal 
lantry  in  the  South  Carolina  campaign,  and  was  killed  at  Honey 
Hill,  S.  C.,  while  acting  as  aid  and  chief  of  staff  to  Colonel  A.  S. 
Hartwell.  He  died  Nov.  30,  1864,  when  just  entering  his  twenty- 
fifth  year.1  Edward  L.  Stevens,  Company  E,  member  also  of  the 
class  of  1863,  Harvard  College,  was  commissioned  second  lieu 
tenant  of  the  Massachusetts  Fifty-fourth,  Jan.  31,  1864,  and  first 
lieutenant,  Dec.  16,  1864,  and  was  killed  in  the  front  of  battle  at 
Boykin's  Mills,  S.  C.,  April  18,  1865,  in  his  twenty-third  year. 
He  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  last  Union  officer  killed  in  the 
war.2  Corporal  Samuel  Storrow,  Company  H,  member  of  the 
class  of  1864,  Harvard  College,  was  commissioned  first  lieutenant 
in  the  Massachusetts  Second,  Sept.  22,  1864,  and  died  March  16, 
1865,  in  his  twenty-second  year,  of  wounds  received  near  Fayette- 
ville,  N.  C.,  while  acting  as  aid  to  Brigadier-General  Cogswell.  In 
a  letter  to  Lieutenant  Storrow's  father,  General  Cogswell  says : 

"  My  brigade  had  been  engaged  with  the  enemy  nearly  all  day,  and  at 
about  four  o'clock  p.  M.  Mr.  Storrow  was  wounded  while  carrying  an  order 
to  the  left  of  the  brigade,  and  died  in  about  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes 
afterwards.  He  was  not  insensible  when  first  wounded,  and  he  had  the 
coolness  and  self-possession  to  send  word  to  me  that  he  was  wounded, 
that  he  had  carried  out  my  instructions,  and  also  sent  me  the  information 
that  I  had  wished  for.  .  .  .  Allow  me  to  claim  in  part  this  loss  as  my 
own,  for  neither  in  my  old  regiment  nor  in  my  present  command  can 
I  replace  him."  3 

Stephen  H.  Parker,  Company  I,  became  sergeant  of  the  Massa 
chusetts  Fifty-ninth,  and  died  of  wounds  received  in  battle  in 
1864.  Benjamin  P.  Chandler,  Company  I,  died  of  disease  in 
Florida.  James  M.  Foss,  Company  I,  also  became  sergeant  of 

1  See  Harvard  Memorial  Biographies,  vol.  ii.  p.  393. 

2  See  Ibid.,  p.  410.  3  See  Ibid.,  p.  473- 


266  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

the  Massachusetts  Fifty-ninth,  and  died  of  disease.  Charles 
Wood,  Company  G,  became  sergeant-major  of  the  Massachusetts 
Fifty-sixth,  and  died  of  disease.  Clifton  H.  Vose,  Company  D, 
became  sergeant  of  the  Massachusetts  Fifty-eighth,  and  died  in 
prison  in  South  Carolina,  Oct.  28,  1864.  Lowell  E.  Hartshorn, 
Company  K,  re-enlisted  in  the  Massachusetts  Fifty-eighth,  and 
died  in  Andersonville  Prison  Dec.  17,  1864.  Walter  L.  Ray 
mond,  Company  G,  re-enlisted  in  the  First  Massachusetts  Cav 
alry,  and  died  in  prison  in  Salisbury,  N.  C,  Dec.  25,  1864. 
Albert  W.  Townsend,  Company  G,  re-enlisted  in  a  New  York 
regiment,  and  died  in  prison  in  Florence,  S.  C. 

The  full  list  of  officers  and  men,  so  far  as  known,  who  re- 
enlisted  in  other  regiments,  will  be  found  in  the  "  Roster." 

It  is  hard  to  part  from  these  pleasant  companions.  To  go 
over  this  list  of  the  departed,  and  recall  the  still  fuller  list  of  their 
comrades  who  have  survived  them,  is  to  live  over  again  the 
delightful  nine  months'  intercourse  which  for  so  many  of  us  con 
stitutes  one  of  the  happiest  memories  of  our  lives.  No  pastor 
could  ask  for  a  more  interesting,  intelligent,  or  wide-awake  parish 
than  the  ranks  of  the  Forty-fourth  Regiment  afforded  for  quite 
too  brief  a  pastorate.  The  vicissitudes  of  campaigning  were  apt 
to  make  short  work,  it  is  true,  of  the  usual  ministerial  functions ; 
but  only  to  substitute  other  and  more  personal  relations  of  quite 
as  engrossing  a  kind.  I  am  not  alone  in  counting  that  close  com 
panionship  with  such  a  buoyant,  eager,  high-minded,  and  high 
hearted  body  of  youths  one  of  the  kindest  strokes  of  good 
fortune  that  could  have  befallen  me.  Even  nine  months  of  army 
life,  in  barracks,  on  provost-guard,  and  in  the  field,  test  the  real 
quality  of  officers  and  soldiers;  and  it  was  gratifying  to  all 
connected  with  the  Forty-fourth  to  see  how  well  they  bore  the 
trial  both  of  action  and  of  idleness.  I  cannot  aver  that  there 
was  no  complaining  in  camp  or  on  the  march,  or  no  criticism 
of  military  plans  or  military  management.  With  such  acute  ob 
servers  in  the  ranks,  no  official  blundering  or  incompetence  was 
likely  to  pass  unnoticed;  and  the  tedium  of  inaction  or  weari 
ness  of  the  tramp  was  not  unlikely  to  be  relieved  by  frank 
and  pungent  comments  which  showed  an  alarming  amount  of 
thinking.  This  is  not  the  ideal  composition  of  an  army,  perhaps  ; 


PERSONNEL.  267 

and  the  question  often  arose  among  us  as  to  the  relative  efficiency 
of  regiments  endowed  with  brains  throughout  and  those  which 
carried  only  muscle  and  sinew  in  their  ranks.  Yet  in  our  case  the 
grumbling  was  of  a  very  innocent  kind,  and  even  colonels  and 
major-generals  were  known  to  smile  at  the  good-natured  satire  and 
badinage  which  anticipated  Gilbert  and  Sullivan,  and  found  an 
excellent  safety-valve  in  comic  opera.  The  spirit  of  insubordina 
tion  never  found  entrance  into  the  Forty-fourth.  Their  sol 
dierly  recognition  of  authority  and  submission  to  the  strictest 
discipline  were  as  marked  as  the  light-heartedness  which  would 
have  served  them  in  far  sterner  tasks  than  any  to  which  they 
were  called.  General  Foster  is  quoted  as  saying  of  this  regi 
ment,  while  on  its  first  expedition,  that  "  they  were  the  gayest 
of  all  the  troops,  and  greeted  him  with  cheers  whenever  he  came 
in  sight."  1  Brigadier-General  Wessells,  one  of  the  toughest  of 
regular  army  officers,  whose  order  on  taking  leave  of  the  Forty- 
fourth  will  be  found  in  another  chapter,  offered  unequivocal  tes 
timony  to  the  discipline  and  good  conduct  of  this  portion  of  his 
command.  A  later  communication  from  this  same  officer,  dated 
May  29,  1876,  in  answer  to  an  invitation  to  a  company  reunion, 
says :  "  I  well  remember  that  glorious  regiment  when  I  had  the 
honor  to  call  it  a  part  of  my  command,  and  its  fine  appearance 
in  line ;  and  it  is  pleasant  to  trace  the  footsteps  of  those  who  did 
such  good  service  to  the  regiment  and  to  their  native  State." 

In  the  quiet  hours  in  barracks  at  New  Berne,  on  picket,  or  on 
provost  duty  in  the  city,  the  companies  maintained  a  good  be 
havior,  and  heartily  seconded,  for  the  most  part,  the  strict  pre 
cepts  and  example  of  the  regimental  headquarters  in  the  matter 
of  temperance.  The  chaplain  can  testify  that  in  these  peaceful 
interludes  the  ample  regimental  library  was  generously  patron 
ized,  and  that  at  all  times  the  mail-bags,  going  and  coming, 
were  portentously  full.  The  list  of  details  from  the  regiment  for 
detached  service  at  department  or  brigade  headquarters,  cover 
ing  the  most  varied  occupations,  from  the  taking  of  a  census 
of  the  black  population  of  New  Berne,  or  the  drafting  of  topo 
graphical  plans,  to  nursing  at  the  general  hospital,  shows  some 
thing  of  the  varied  talent  of  which  the  regiment  was  composed. 

1  Headley's  "  Massachusetts  in  the  Rebellion,"  p.  416. 


268  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

The  great  number  of  officers,  as  already  shown,  which  it  supplied 
to  other  regiments,  with  their  honorable  record  of  service,  testi 
fies  to  its  soldierly  quality  and  admirable  discipline. 

The  wisdom  of  calling  out  troops  for  nine  months'  service, 
subjecting  them  to  army  discipline,  and  bringing  them  to  a  fine 
state  of  efficiency  only  to  scatter  them  to  their  homes  again,  or 
of  placing  side  by  side  with  veteran  troops,  enlisted  for  the  war, 
these  creations  of  a  summer  day,  may  well  be  questioned,  and 
was  nowhere  more  seriously  debated,  I  am  sure,  than  among  the 
nine  months'  troops  themselves.  But  whatever  our  opinion  on 
this  point,  it  must  be  remembered  that  to  enlist  for  nine  months, 
at  that  juncture,  seemed  to  be  enlisting  for  the  war;  and  that  the 
call  was  issued  on  the  distinct  understanding  that  such  large  and 
immediate  additions  to  the  army  would  certainly  hasten  the 
desired  end.  When  the  Forty-fourth  was  organized,  no  bounties 
had  been  offered  or  were  thought  of;  and  its  recruits  went  into 
the  ranks  with  just  as  serious  a  purpose,  and  with  quite  as  full 
expectation  of  active  and  constant  service,  as  any  before  or  after 
them.  They  had  no  knowledge  where  they  should  be  sent,  and 
no  thought  or  choice  about  it,  but  assumed,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  that  they  would  be  placed  where  the  need  was  greatest 
and  the  peril  most  imminent.  Any  disappointment  or  chagrin 
that  they  felt  was  rather  in  consequence  of  the  unimportance  of 
the  service  required  of  them  than  because  of  its  hardships  or  dan 
gers.  The  folly  of  the  measure  itself,  if  folly  it  was,  is  not  to  be 
visited  upon  those  who  responded  in  perfect  good  faith,  and  with 
absolute  loyalty,  to  the  nation's  eager  appeal  for  aid.  Certainly 
during  that  year  of  the  war  no  difference  was  known,  in  the  duties 
imposed,  the  discipline  exacted,  or  the  work  required,  between 
the  regiments  of  the  longest  and  those  of  the  shortest  terms. 

It  is  pleasant,  after  so  many  years  have  passed,  to  bear  this  tes 
timony  to  one  at  least  of  these  nine  months'  regiments.  Without 
instituting  any  comparison  with  other  organizations,  or  claiming 
the  slightest  superiority  for  my  own,  I  wish  only  to  offer  this 
tribute  to  the  fidelity,  the  loyalty,  the  high  spirit,  and  pure  aims, 
of  the  soldiers  of  the  Massachusetts  Forty-fourth. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


SUBSEQUENT    SERVICE. 


WILDE  RM£S3, 

SPOTSYLVANlAi 

PETERSBURG, 

BOYKENS    MfU.8. 

/.N&ERS'OWVILLE. 


T  is  generally  considered  that  the  en 
listment  of  troops  for  short  terms 
was  a  mistaken  policy.  They  were 
hardly  perfected  in  drill  and  disci 
pline,  and  inured  to  the  hardships  of 
army  life,  before  they  were  dis 
charged,  and  their  places  in  the 
field  were  filled  by  raw  troops,  who 
had  to  go  through  the  same  ex 
perience  to  fit  them  for  efficient 
service. 

But  although  the  short- 
term  regiments  did  not  re 
main  in  the  field  as  organiza 
tions,  very  many  of  their  men 
returned  to  the  army  in  other 
regiments,  and  through  these  veterans  the  nine  months'  troops 
contributed  most  permanently  to  the  efficiency  and  strength  of 
our  armies. 

The  following  roll  shows  how  many  Forty-fourth  men  re- 
enlisted,  and  presents  the  honorable  record  of  their  subsequent 
service.  In  this  record  their  first  regiment  can  take  a  pardonable 
pride,  as  the  number  of  commissioned  officers  in  the  list,  and  the 
evidence  of  fidelity  and  bravery  shown  in  the  casualties  in  action, 
speak  well  for  the  school  in  which  these  veterans  received  their 
soldierly  education. 

Although  instances  of  re-enlistment  may  have  escaped  the 
notice  of  the  compiler,  it  is  believed  that  this  list  comprises 


2/0  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

nearly  all  who  went  back  into  the  service  in  any  capacity.     To 
summarize:  — 

Total  number  re-enlisted  [with  rank  as  fallows']   .     .  173 

Colonel  and  Brevet  Brigadier-General      .....  i 

Lieutenant-Colonel  ............  i 

Majors  ................  2 

Captains    ...............  24 

First  Lieutenants      ............  25 

Second  Lieutenants  ............  15 

Assistant  Surgeons   ............  3 

Non-commissioned  Officers    .........  48 

Privates      ...............  46 

Ensign  U.  S.  Navy  ............  i 

Assistant  Paymasters  U.  S.  Navy     .......  2 

Assistant  Engineer  U.  S.  Navy  ........  2 

Master-at-Arms  U.  S.  Navy    .........  i 

Mate  U.  S.  Navy      ............  i 

Captain's  Clerk  U.  S.  Navy    .........  i 

Casualties. 

Killed  in  action  or  died  of  wounds  .......  9 

Wounded  ...............  16 

Died  prisoners  of  war   ...........  3 

Died  from  disease    ,     ...........  i 

Discharged  for  disability   ..........  2 


STAFF. 

HINCKLEY,  WALLACE.  First  Lieutenant  and  Adjutant.  Was  discharged 
May  29,  1863,  and  commissioned  First  Lieutenant  and  Adjutant 
2d  Mass.  Heavy  Artillery,  and  served  with  his  regiment  until  June  8, 
1865,  at  Fort  Macon,  N.  C.  After  he  was  mustered  out  he  remained 
on  the  island  for  some  time  settling  his  accounts,  and  in  the  early 
part  of  August  was  seized  with  typhoid  fever,  and  died  Sept.  4,  1865. 
His  death  was  very  sudden,  as  he  had  been  pronounced  convalescent 
by  the  physicians  and  was  supposed  to  be  on  the  road  to  recovery. 
His  body  is  buried  in  the  old  cemetery  at  Hingham,  Mass. 

The  following,  written  by  one  of  his  school  friends,  is  so  appre 
ciative  that  it  is  inserted  here. 

"  Six  months  at  a  military  school  made  him  a  proficient  in  the  manual 
of  drill  ;  and  when  the  loyal  drums  beat  to  arms  in  1861,  he  offered  his 
services  in  instructing  the  raw  levies  which  the  city  of  Lowell  had  then 


SUBSEQUENT   SERVICE.  2?  I 

got  together.  The  renown  subsequently  won  by  the  company  which 
he  drilled  will  always  cast  a  reflex  lustre  on  the  memory  of  its  gallant 
young  tutor.  Returning  to  his  studies,  it  was  not  long  before  he  was 
called  upon  to  draw  his  sword  in  good  earnest.  The  great  heart  of 
Massachusetts  was  thrilled  by  a  prayer  from  the  Government  for  help ; 
and  foremost  among  the  choicest  youth  of  the  Commonwealth  who, 

'  Stepping  like  Homer  at  the  trumpet's  call,' 

crowded  under  the  banners  of  the  famous  Forty-fourth,  was  young 
Hinckley.  Scarcely  eighteen,  he  was  at  once  appointed  Adjutant.  Ar 
dently  loving  the  profession  of  arms,  he  was  now  in  his  element.  His 
exact  and  thorough  knowledge  of  his  duties,  his  intense  devotion  to  his 
work,  and  moreover  his  handsome  person  contributed  to  make  him  the 
most  brilliant  officer  of  that  brilliant  regiment.  .  .  . 

"  His  life  was  short,  but  in  twenty  years  he  accomplished  as  much  as 
most  men  in  fifty.  We  may  regret  that  the  brilliant  promise  of  his  youth 
was  prevented  by  death  from  the  fulfilment  of  a  glorious  manhood ;  but 
the  lofty  words  of  one  of  the  prophets  of  the  Elizabethan  age,  rolling  to 
our  ears  from  the  past  like  the  thunder-peal  of  an  organ,  proclaims  that 
'  't  is  immortality  to  die  aspiring.'  " 

NON-COMMISSIONED  STAFF. 

GIFFORD,  FREDERIC  S.  Quartermaster  Sergeant.  Previous  service,  Q.  M. 
Sergt.  3d  Mass.  Vol.  Militia,  from  April  23  to  July  22,  1861.  Second 
Lieutenant  6th  Unattached  Company  Mass.  Heavy  Artillery.  First 
Lieutenant  3d  Mass.  Heavy  Artillery,  July  n,  1864.  Resigned  April 
20,  1865. 

COMPANY  A. 

BARKER,  EBEN  FRANCIS.  Corporal  First  Lieutenant  75th  U.  S.  C.  T., 
December,  1863;  Captain,  January,  1865  ;  discharged  November, 
1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

BELLOWS,  HENRY  HUDSON.  Private.  Private  Co.  D,  Frontier  Cavalry, 
Jan.  2,  1865  ;  discharged  June  30,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

CONANT,  JOHN  H.  Private.  First  Sergeant  2Qth  Unattached  Company 
Heavy  Artillery,  Sept.  19,  1864.  Second  Lieutenant  54th  Mass.  Vols., 
May  i,  1865  >  First  Lieutenant,  July  n,  1865  ;  mustered  out  as  Act 
ing  Adjutant,  Aug.  20,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service.  Died  at  Cam 
bridge,  June  1 6,  1868. 

CRAGIN,  GEORGE  NATHAN.  Private.  Corporal  Co.  A,  5th  Mass.  Infantry, 
July  25,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  16,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 

FULLER,  ALBERT.  Private.  Sergeant  Company  D,  2d  Mass.  Heavy  Artil 
lery,  Aug.  22,  1863.  Discharged  —  no  date  given.  The  record  of 
Volunteers  shows  he  was  promoted  Quartermaster  Sergeant ;  but  his 
name  does  not  appear  among  the  non-commissioned  staff. 


2/2  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

RICHARDSON,  JAMES  MIRICK.  Captain,  First  entered  the  service  as  Cap 
tain  21  st  Mass.  Infantry,  Aug.  21,  1861  ;  resigned  July  25,  1862; 
was  wounded  during  siege  of  "  Little  "  Washington  while  on  a  scouting 
party,  March  30,  by  two  bullets  through  left  arm.  Second  Lieutenant 
1 2th  Unattached  Company  Mass.  Heavy  Artillery  (afterwards  3d 
Mass.  Heavy  Artillery),  July  16,  1863;  Captain,  Nov.  16,  1863; 
Major,  Nov.  16,  1864;  mustered  out  Sept.  18,  1865.  Brevetted 
Lieutenant-Colonel  U.  S.  Vols.  from  March  13,  1865.  Died  at 
Boston,  Oct.  7,  1878. 

WHIPPLE,  ALONZO  LYMAN.  Private.  Private  Co.  H,  3d  Heavy  Artillery, 
Dec.  4,  1863  ;  discharged  September,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

COMPANY  B. 

BROOKS,  GEORGE  WILLIAM.  Private.  Private  Co.  K,  42d  Mass.  In 
fantry,  July  18,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  n,  1864,  on  expiration  of 
service. 

CLAPP,  DAVID  C.  Private.  Sergeant  ist  Unattached  Company  Infantry, 
April  29,  1864;  discharged  Aug.  i,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 
Second  Lieutenant  8th  U.  S.  C.  T.,  March  10,  1865  ;  discharged 
Dec.  9,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

DEMOND,  ALPHEUS.  Private.  Corporal  Co.  F,  6oth  Infantry  M.  V.  M., 
July  20,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  30,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 

GILLESPIE,  WILLIAM.  Sergeant.  Was  commissioned  Second  Lieutenant 
2d  Maine  Cavalry  while  in  the  44th,  but  served  out  his  original 
enlistment.  Remained  in  the  Maine  Cavalry  "  until  Confederacy 
busted." 

HARDING,  NATHAN  FRANCIS.  Private.  Private  nth  Mass.  Battery,  Jan.  2, 
1864;  discharged  June  16,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

MANSFIELD,  THEODORE  FRANCIS.  Private.  Private  Co.  F,  5th  Infantry 
M.  V.  M.,  July  1 6,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  16,  1864,  on  expiration 
of  service. 

READ,  HENRY  FRANKLIN.  Private.  Private  Co.  I,  2d  Mass.  Cavalry, 
Aug.  20,  1864;  discharged  May  8,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

SOULE,  CHARLES  CARROLL.  Second  Lieutenant.  First  mustered  into 
U.  S.  service  as  First  Lieutenant  and  Adjutant  of  4th  Battalion  of 
Infantry  M.  V.  M.,  May  25,  1862,  but  the  battalion  not  being  needed, 
was  mustered  out  June  i,  1862.  Captain  55th  Mass.  Infantry,  June 
19,  1863  ;  slightly  wounded  in  the  arrn,  at  the  battle  of  Honey  Hill, 
S.  C.,  Nov.  30,  1864.  Brevetted  Major,  to  date  from  March  13, 
1865,  but  declined  the  brevet;  mustered  out  with  regiment.  Aug. 
29,  1865. 

TEAGUE,  FRANK  W.  Corporal.  Second  Lieutenant  7 8th  U.  S.  C.  T., 
Dec.  19,  1863.  Discharged  Jan.  6,  1866,  on  expiration  of  service. 
Died  at  St.  Louis,  Aug.  17,  1866. 


SUBSEQUENT   SERVICE.  273 

COMPANY  C. 

BRYANT,  ALBERT.  Private.  Corporal  ist  Unattached  Company  In 
fantry,  April  29,  1864;  discharged  Aug.  i,  1864,  on  expiration  of 
service. 

COOTEY,  PHILIP  I.  Corporal.  Captain  Co.  F,  5th  Mass.  Infantry,  July 
16,  1864  ;  discharged  Nov.  16,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 

CUNNINGHAM,  CHARLES  A.  First  Sergeant.  Second  Lieutenant  26.  Heavy 
Artillery,  June  4,  1863;  First  Lieutenant,  April  18,  1864;  mustered 
out  Sept.  19,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service.  Died  at  South  Boston, 
April  5,  1874. 

DREW,  ARTHUR.  Private.  Private  Co.  A,  42d  Infantry  M.  V.  M.,  July 
14,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  u,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 

HEDGE,  WILLIAM.  First  Lieutenant.  Declined  commission  in  2oth 
Mass.  Regiment. 

HORTON,  ANDREW  T.  Private.  Corporal  Co.  C,  6ist  Mass.  Vols.,  Sept. 
5,  1864  ;  discharged  June  4,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

JONES,  IRVING.  Private.  Private  in  Signal  Corps,  U.  S.  A.,  March  29, 
1864;  discharged  Aug.  16,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

JONES,  SYLVESTER  ALLEN.  Private.  Corporal  Co.  K,  59th  Mass. 
Vols.,  Aug.  21,  1864;  discharged  June  13,  1865,  on  expiration  of 
service. 

MONROE,  THEODORE  JAMES.  Private.  First  Sergeant  Co.  E,  56th 
Mass.  Infantry,  Jan.  12,  1864;  discharged  June  25,  1865,  on  expira 
tion  of  service.  Subsequently  enlisted  as  Hospital  Steward,  gth 
Corps,  U.  S.  A. ;  afterwards  appointed  Hospital  Steward,  U.  S.  A. ; 
resigned  February,  1866. 

MORSE,  GEORGE  JULIUS.  Private.  Corporal  Co.  F,  5th  Mass.  Vols., 
July  16,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  16,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 

PROCTOR,  GEORGE.  Private.  Corporal  ist  Unattached  Company  In 
fantry,  April  29,  1864;  discharged  Aug.  i,  1864,  on  expiration  of 
service. 

RICHMOND,  WILLIAM  THOMAS.  Private.  Enlisted  in  Signal  Corps, 
U.  S.  A.,  and  served  until  close  of  war. 

TRESCOTT,  EDWARD  WHITING.  Private.  Sergeant  Co.  F,  5th  Infantry 
M.  V.  M.,  July  12,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  16,  1864,  on  expiration 
of  service. 

WALKER,  EUGENE  CLIFFORD.  Private.  Private  in  ad  Battery,  Feb.  12, 
1864;  discharged  Aug.  u,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

WHITTEMORE,  CURTIS  H.  Corporal.  Second  Lieutenant  5th  Mass.  Cav 
alry,  July  7,  1864  ;  First  Lieutenant,  Dec.  16,  1864 ;  discharged 
Oct.  31,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

WiLLARD.  EDWARD  AUGUSTUS.  Private.  Private  nth  Mass.  Battery, 
Dec.  2,  1864  ;  discharged  June  16,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

18 


2/4  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

COMPANY  D. 

BATES,  DANIEL  DWIGHT.  Private.  Landsman,  U.  S.  Navy;  discharged 
as  Assistant  Master-at-Arms,  U.  S.  Navy,  June,  1865,  on  expira 
tion  of  service. 

BEAL,  CHARLES  W.  Private.  First  Sergeant,  Co.  A,  42d  Mass.  In 
fantry,  July  14,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  u,  1864,  on  expiration  of 
service. 

BEAL,  GEORGE  W.  Private.  Sergeant  Co.  B,  6oth  Mass.  Infantry,  July 
n,  1864  ;  discharged  Nov.  30,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 

BREVVSTER,  JAMES  BARTLETT.  Private.  Early  in  1864  was  attached  to 
the  Relief-rooms  of  the  Sanitary  Commission  in  Boston,  as  Surgical 
dresser.  Assistant  Surgeon  2d  Division,  g\h  Army  Corps,  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  June  i,  1864;  stationed  at  White  House  and  on  the 
James  during  the  summer  campaign. 

CARTER,  GEORGE  HENRY.  Sergeant.  Second  Lieutenant  55th  Mass. 
Vols,  Nov.  15,  1864;  First  Lieutenant,  June  25,  1865.  Brevetted 
Captain  U.  S.  Vols.,  to  date  from  March  13,  1865;  discharged 
Aug.  29,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

CRANE,  EDWARD  W.  Private.  Declined  commission  in  55th  Mass. 
Vols.,  dated  June  9,  1864.  Died  at  Marshfield,  Mass.,  May  21,  1886. 

CRANE,  WILLIAM  DWIGHT.  Private.  First  Lieutenant  55th  Mass.  Vols., 
June  7,  1863;  Captain  Co.  I,  June  19.  Killed  at  the  battle  of 
Honey  Hill,  S.  C.,  Nov.  30,  1864. 

The  following  was  written  by  a  brother  officer,  one  of  Crane's 
former  playfellows,  and  like  himself  a  graduate  of  Harvard  Col 
lege  :  — 

"  He  was  first  commissioned  as  a  Lieutenant,  but  gained  his  cap 
taincy  before  muster-in,  by  hard  work  and  soldierly  aptitude.  We 
were  barracked  together  in  July,  1863,  and  from  that  time  until  his 
death  were  rarely  separated. 

"  It  was  a  pleasure  to  be  with  and  watch  him  —  square,  sturdy,  fresh, 
and  handsome  soldier  that  he  was  —  through  the  desert  heats  of  Folly 
Island,  the  toilsome  fatigue  of  the  trenches  before  Wagner,  the  malarious 
picket  details  on  marsh  and  sand-hill,  the  fervid  drills  upon  the  sea- 
beach,  the  sickness  and  weariness  of  the  autumn  of  1863,  the  mingled 
rest  and  activity  of  the  succeeding  winter,  and  the  toilsome  Florida 
marches  of  February,  1864." 

At  the  battle  of  Honey  Hill,  Nov.  30,  1864,  Crane  was  acting  aide 
and  chief-of-staff  to  Col.  Hartwell,  commanding  the  brigade  of  which 
the  55th  formed  a  part. 

"  At  the  charge  on  the  enemy's  batteries  along  a  narrow  road,  ex 
posed  to  canister  at  close  range  from  seven  guns,  and  in  the  focus  of  an 
infantry  fire  from  over  a  thousand  rifles,  he  was  slain.  I  have  heard 
that  he  was  instantly  killed  by  a  shot  through  the  head,  and  attracted 


SUBSEQUENT   SERVICE.  275 

the  attention  of  the  Rebels,  who  held  the  field  after  the  battle,  by  his 
fine,  handsome  face  and  touching  attitude.  He  was  honorably  buried, 
—  so  we  learn  from  participants  in  the  battle,  — both  out  of  respect  for 
his  bravery,  and  because  of  his  being  a  newly  made  Freemason.  In 
probity,  singular  purity  of  life  and  conversation,  in  upright  manliness 
and  military  talent,  I  know  of  no  young  man  who  could  surpass  the 
brave  soldier  who  thus  met  death  and  an  unmarked  grave,  not  in 
victory,  but  in  defeat.  It  was  a  sad  loss  to  us  who  remained.  The 
men  of  his  company  almost  idolized  him."  —  Harvard  Memorial. 

GOFF,  WILLIAM  CULLEN.  First  Lieutenant  Co.  F,  5th  Infantry  M.  V.  M., 
July  16,  1864  ;  discharged  Nov.  16,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 

HEMENWAY,  AUGUSTUS  A.  Private.  Band-master  4th  Mass.  Cavalry, 
March  i,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  14,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 
Drowned  Aug.  30,  1872,  at  wreck  of  steamer  "Metis"  off  Watch 
Hill,  Conn. 

HOBART,  GEORGE  HENRY.  Private.  Sergeant  Co.  A,  42d  Mass.  Vols., 
July  4,  1864  ;  discharged  Nov.  ir,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 

HOWARD,  WILLARD.  Private.  Discharged  for  promotion  at  New  Berne, 
April  26,  1863.  Second  Lieutenant  54th  Mass.  Vols.,  May  13, 
1863  ;  First  Lieutenant,  May  31,  1863.  Slightly  wounded  at  assault 
on  Fort  Wagner,  July  18,  1863.  Acting  Adjutant,  November,  1863  ; 
Adjutant,  March  i,  1864;  Captain,  Dec.  3,  1864 ;  discharged  Aug.  2, 
1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

JACOBS,  AUGUSTUS.  Private.  First  Sergeant  Co.  F,  5th  Mass.  Vols., 
July  12,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  16,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 

LITTLEFIELD,  HENRY  WARREN.  Private.  Second  Lieutcuant  54th  Mass. 
Vols.,  May  n,  1863;  First  Lieutenant,  Oct.  7,  1863;  resigned 
Feb.  9,  1865,  on  account  of  wounds  received  at  battle  of  Olustee, 
Fla.,  Feb.  20,  1864. 

NOURSE,  HARRISON.  Private.  Corporal  Co.  D,  6th  Mass.  Infantry, 
July  16,  1864;  discharged  Oct.  27,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 

SIMONDS,  JOSEPH  WARREN.  Private.  Private  in  Co.  E,  8th  Mass.  In 
fantry,  July  19,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  10,  1864,  on  expiration  of 
service. 

STURTEVANT,  CHARLES  WHITMORE.  Private.  Commissary-Sergeant  Co.  L, 
ist  Mass.  Cavalry,  Jan.  6,  1864 ;  discharged  June  26,  1865,  on  expira 
tion  of  service. 

TRIPP,  GEORGE  LEIGHTON.  First  Sergeant.  First  Lieutenant  Co.  H,  6th 
Mass.  Vols.,  July  16,  1864;  discharged  Oct.  27,  1864,  on  expiration 
of  service.  Died  at  Alfred,  Me.,  March  13,  1867,  of  disease  con 
tracted  during  service. 

TUTTLE,  HORACE  P.  Private.  Discharged  April  26,  1863,  for  disability. 
Assistant  Paymaster  in  United  States  Navy,  July  2,  1864,  and  served 
several  years. 


2/6  FORTY-FOURTH    MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

VOSE,  CLIFTON  HENRY.  Private.  First  Sergeant  Co.  F,  58th  Mass. 
Infantry,  April  20,  1864.  Died  at  Rickersville  Hospital,  S.  C.,  Oct. 
28,  1864,  while  prisoner  of  war;  was  buried  at  Charleston,  S.  C. 

COMPANY  E. 

ADAMS,  WILLIAM  ROBERT.  Corporal.  Sergeant  Co.  H,  6th  Mass.  Vols., 
July  16,  1864  ;  discharged  Oct.  27,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 

BRADISH,  ALBERT  HENRY.  Private.  Second  Lieutenant  55th  Mass.  Vols., 
Feb.  n,  1864  ;  Acting  Post  Ordnance  officer  at  Palatka,  Fla.,  during 
the  stay  of  the  regiment  at  that  point;  resigned  June  27,  1864,  for 
disability. 

BREWSTER,  WARREN  JOSHUA.  Private.  Discharged  Sept.  30,  1862,  for 
disability.  Afterwards  re-entered  the  service  (particulars  of  which 
cannot  now  be  learned)  and  served  for  a  time  on  staff  of  General 
Cooke,  in  the  West. 

CARTWRIGHT,  JAMES  WELD.  Corporal.  Second  Lieutenant  56th  Mass. 
Vols.,  July  30,  1863;  First  Lieutenant,  Nov.  21,  1863;  Captain, 
May  17,  1864;  mustered  out  July  12,  1865,  on  expiration  of  ser 
vice.  Wounded  May  12,  1864,  at  Spottsylvania,  and  again,  April. 
1865,  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  slightly  in  left  hand  and  right  shoulder. 

CROSS,  HENRY  CLAY,  Private.  Private  in  ist  Tennessee  Home  Guards, 
1864,  and  served  until  end  of  war. 

DERBY,  OLIVER  CARPENTER.  Private.  Sergeant  Co.  H,  3d  Mass.  Heavy 
Artillery,  Nov.  20,  1863;  discharged  Sept.  18,  1865,  on  expira 
tion  of  service. 

HIGHT,  HENRY  ORMAND.  Corporal.  Second  Lieutenant  82d  U.  S.  C.  T., 
Nov.  12,  1863  ;  discharged  Captain,  Sept.  16,  1866,  on  expiration  of 
service.  Brevetted  Major  for  gallantry  at  siege  of  Fort  Blakely, 
April,  1865. 

HOMER,  HENRY  AUGUSTUS.  Sergeant.  Declined  commission  in  5151 
Mass.  Vols.  Captain  igth  Mass.  Vols.,  April  22,  1865  ;  discharged 
June  30,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service.  Died  at  Cambridge,  Mass., 
Dec.  n,  1875. 

JOY,  CHARLES  FREDERICK.  Private.  Sergeant  Co.  F,  2d  Heavy  Artil 
lery,  Oct.  8,  1863.  Transferred  as  Second  Lieutenant  54th  Mass. 
Vols.,  Sept.  30,  1864;  First  Lieutenant,  March  30,  1865;  Captain, 
July  17,  1865  ;  discharged  Aug.  20,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

KENT,  FRED.  AUGUSTUS.  Private.  Captain's  clerk  in  U.  S.  Navy,  and 
served  four  years. 

KING,  BENJAMIN  FLINT.  Private.  First  Lieutenant  Co.  B,  i8th 
U.  S.  C.  T.,  Dec.  7,  1863.  Appointed  Judge  Advocate,  on  staff 
of  Gen.  George  L.  Andrews.  Resigned  Aug.  10,  1864,  on  account 
of  ill  health.  Died  at  Boston,  Jan.  24,  1868,  of  heart  disease. 


SUBSEQUENT  SERVICE.  277 

LIVERMORE,  WILLIAM  BELDEN.  Private,  Corporal  Co.  H,  6th  Mass. 
Vols.,  July  16,  1864;  discharged  Oct.  27,  1864,  on  expiration 
of  service.  Died  at  Charlestown,  Mass.,  Sept.  23,  1870. 

MYERS,  JOHN  HENRY,  JR.  Private.  Sergeant  in  Co.  H,  4th  Mass. 
Cavalry,  Feb.  8,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  14,  1865,  on  expiration  of 
service.  The  squadron  to  which  he  was  attached  carried  the  first 
national  colors  into  Richmond.  Died  Jan.  21,  1873. 

NEWELL,  JAMES  SHUTTLEWORTH.  First  Lieutenant.  First  Lieutenant  5th 
Mass.  Cavalry,  Dec.  29,  1863;  Captain,  Feb.  15,  1865;  discharged 
Oct.  31,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

PARK,  CHARLES  STUART.  Private.  Declined  Second  Lieutenant's  Com 
mission  56th  Mass.  Vols.  Acting  Assistant  Paymaster,  U.  S.  Navy, 
from  November,  1864,  to  August,  1865. 

PATTEN,  THOMAS  HENRY.  Private.  First  Sergeant  Co.  I,  2d  Mass. 
Heavy  Artillery,  Dec.  n,  1863  ;  Second  Lieutenant,  Jan.  17,  1865  ; 
discharged  Sept.  3,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service.  Feb.  22,  1865, 
was  appointed  Second  Lieutenant  54th  Mass.  Vols.,  but  declined 
commission. 

PLIMPTON,  MERRILL  FRANCIS.  Private.  First  Sergeant  Co.  C,  56th 
Mass.  Vols.,  March  i,  1864;  commissioned  Second  Lieutenant, 
July  i,  1865,  but  not  mustered;  discharged  July  12,  1865,  by  Spe 
cial  Order  No.  162,  War  Department,  Washington,  D.  C.  Wounded 
by  a  buck-shot  at  Petersburg,  June  17,  1864,  and  again  by  a  frag 
ment  of  a  shell  in  the  thigh,  and  in  the  hand  by  a  bullet,  at  the 
mine  explosion,  July  12,  1864. 

ROBBINS,  JAMES  ARTHUR.  Private.  Private  Co.  E,  57th  Mass.  Vols., 
Feb.  1 8,  1864;  promoted  Quartermaster  Sergeant;  discharged  July 
30,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

STEVENS,  EDWARD  LEWIS.  Private.  Second  Lieutenant  54th  Mass.  Vols., 
Jan.  31,  1864;  First  Lieutenant,  Dec.  16,  1864.  Killed  April  18, 
1865,  at  Boykin's  Mills,  S.  C.  He  is  believed  to  have  been  the  last 
Union  officer  killed  during  the  war.  The  remains  of  Lieutenant 
Stevens,  and  of  Corporal  Johnson  of  his  regiment,  were  disinterred  July 
29,  1885,  and  re-interred  in  the  National  Cemetery  at  Florence,  S.  C. 

TUCKER,  CHARLES  EDWARD.  Corporal.  Second  Lieutenant  54th  Mass. 
Vols.,  May  13,  1863;  First  Lieutenant,  May  28,  1863;  Captain, 
Feb.  3,  1864.  Wounded  by  a  bullet  in  temple  and  ear  at  the  assault 
on  Fort  Wagner,  July  18,  1863;  mustered  out  Aug.  20,  1865,  on 
expiration  of  service. 

WALCOTT,  GEORGE  PHINNEY.  Private.  Sergeant  Co.  F,  5th  Mass.  Vols., 
July  1 6,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  16,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 

WALLACE,  EDWIN  ASHLEY.  Private.  Sergeant  Co.  C,  561)1  Mass.  Vols., 
Dec.  28,  1863;  First  Lieutenant,  Oct.  22,  1864;  taken  prisoner  at 
North  Anna  River,  and  was  in  prison  at  Andersonville  six  months ; 


278  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

exchanged  at  Millen,  Ga.,  and  rejoined  his  regiment  at  Petersburg  j 
discharged  July  22,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

WHEELWRIGHT,  GEORGE  WILLIAM,  JR.  Sergeant.  Discharged  Sept.  30, 
1862;  was  appointed  by,  the  city  of  Roxbury  as  Assistant  Sanitary 
Agent,  in  which  capacity  was  with  the  Roxbury  men  in  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  several  months,  until  obliged  to  give  up  on  account  of 
sickness.  In  January,  1863,  sailed  for  New  Berne  in  the  "  Frye  ;  " 
rejoined  the  Forty-fourth  as  volunteer  and  acted  as  Colonel's  orderly 
on  the  Plymouth  expedition.  On  the  day  of  the  Grand  Review,  Feb 
ruary  26,  was  taken  to  the  Stanley  Hospital  sick,  and  left  New  Berne 
for  the  North,  March  16,  1863. 

WHITE,  EDWARD  PETERS.  First  Sergeant.  Second  Lieutenant  zd  Mass. 
Heavy  Artillery,  June  4, 1863  ;  First  Lieutenant,  Aug.  14,  1863.  Served 
for  some  time  on  staff  of  General  Palmer;  resigned  Jan.  7,  1865. 

WHITNEY,  WILLIAM  LAMBERT,  JR.  Private.  Second  Lieutenant  54th 
Mass.  Vols.,  Dec.  4,  1864;  First  Lieutenant,  June,  1865;  Acting 
Adjutant,  April,  May,  and  June,  1865  ;  discharged  Aug.  20,  1865,  on 
expiration  of  service. 

WORTHLEY,  JAMES  GUSHING.  Private.  Sergeant  Co.  H,  3d  Mass.  Heavy 
Artillery,  Nov.  20,  1863;  Second  Lieutenant,  July  25,  1865;  dis 
charged  Sept.  18,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

COMPANY  F. 

ATKINS,  FRANCIS  HIGGINSON.  Private.  Medical  Cadet  U.  S.  A.  1863-64  ; 
Acting  Assistant  Surgeon  U.  S.  Navy,  Admiral  Farragut's  Squadron, 
1864;  practising  physician  until  1873;  Acting  Assistant  Surgeon, 
U.  S.  Army,  from  June,  1873,  to  1884. 

BARTLETT,  EDWARD  JARVIS.  Private.  Second  Lieutenant  5th  Mass.  Cav 
alry,  July  i,  1864;  mustered  out  Oct.  31,  1865,  on  expiration  of 
service. 

COGSWELL,  EDWARD  RUSSELL.  Sergeant.  Declined  commission  in  i8th 
Mass.  Vols. 

COOK,  CHARLES  EDWARD.  Private.  Sergeant  Co.  F,  5th  Mass.  Vols. 
July  1 6,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  16,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 

DODGE,  FREDERIC  L.  Private.  Second  Lieutenant  i8th  N.  H.  Vols., 
March  22,  1865  ;  mustered  out  July  29,  1865,  on  expiration  of 
service.  Second  Lieutenant  23d  Regt.  U.  S.  Infantry,  March  7, 
1867  ;  First  Lieutenant,  Jan.  22,  1873.  Still  in  service. 

GOODWIN,  FRANK.  Private.  First  Lieutenant  55th  Mass.  Vols.,  June  7, 
1863  ;  Captain,  July  20,  1863.  Wounded  at  battle  of  James  Island, 
S.  C.  Brevetted  Major,  for  "  gallant  and  meritorious  conduct ;  " 
mustered  out  with  regiment,  Aug.  29,  1865. 

HARTWELL,  ALFRED  STEDMAN.     First  Lieutenant.     First  entered  the  ser- 


SUBSEQUENT   SERVICE.  2/9 

vice  Corporal  3d  Mo.  Vols.,  May,  1861 ;  Captain  54th  Mass.  Vols., 
March  16,  1863.  Transferred,  Lieut.-Col.  55th  Mass.,  May  30,  1863  ; 
Colonel,  Nov.  3,  1863.  At  battle  of  Honey  Hill,  S.  C.,  Nov.  30, 
1864,  while  leading  a  charge,  his  horse  was  killed  and  fell  on  him. 
While  thus  helpless  and  wounded  in  the  hand,  he  would  have  been 
left  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  but  for  the  bravery  of  Lieu 
tenant  Ellsworth,  who  turned  back  under  a  terrific  fire,  and  while  one 
of  the  men,  who  was  killed  the  next  minute,  partly  lifted  the  horse 
and  thus  released  him,  the  lieutenant  dragged  the  colonel  across 
the  ditch  into  the  woods,  and  then  to  the  rear.  In  thus  going  from 
the  field  Hartwell  was  .hit  three  times  by  spent  balls,  but  Ellsworth 
escaped  unharmed.  Brevetted  Brig.-Gen.  U.  S.  Vols.  for  "gallant 
services  at  the  battle  of  Honey  Hill,  S.  C. ; "  discharged  April  30, 
1866,  on  expiration  of  service. 

HOYT,  HENRY  MORRIS.  Private.  Sergeant  Co.  E,  6th  Mass.  Vols.,  July 
1864;  discharged  Oct.  27,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 

JAMES,  GARTH  WILKINSON.  Sergeant.  Sergeant  James  was  discharged 
for  promotion,  March  31,  1863.  He  was  commissioned  First  Lieu 
tenant  and  Adjutant  of  the  54th  Mass.  Vols.,  March  23,  and  mus 
tered  in  April  24.  The  following  sketch  of  his  career  is  from  the 
pen  of  a  brother  officer  in  the  54th  :  — 

"  Adjutant  James  was  with  the  regiment  at  Readville  and  Beaufort,  S.  C  ; 
St.  Simons  and  Darien,  Ga.;  St.  Helena  Island  and  James  Islatid,  S.  C. ; 
always  on  duty,  cheerful,  active,  and  a  universal  favorite  for  his  endear 
ing  qualities  of  heart  and  mind.  Of  the  part  he  took  in  the  assault  on 
Fort  Wagner,  July  18,  1863,  I  have  his  own  account;  and  in  it  he  says 
that  'when  we  received  the  first  discharge  of  the  enemy's  cannon  '  his 
action  was  as  follows :  '  Gathering  together  a  knot  of  men  after  the  sus 
pense  of  a  few  seconds,  I  waved  my  sword  for  a  further  charge  towards 
the  living  line  of  fire  above  us.  We  had  gone  then  some  thirty  yards, 
but  determinedly  onwards,  the  ranks  obliquely  following  the  swords  of 
those  they  trusted,' etc.  James  states  that  'at  the  chevaux-de-frise  in 
front  of  the  ditch  .  .  .  I  received  another  wound,  —  a  canister-ball  in  my 
foot ;'  having  just  after  receiving  the  enemy's  first  fire  been  wounded  in 
the  side  by  a  shell.  Having  dragged  himself  away  some  distance,  some 
ambulance  men  of  the  54th  found  him  and  took  him  to  the  rear.  He 
was  sent  North,  to  his  home  in  Cambridge.  Finding  himself  after  a 
number  of  months  still  unfit  for  duty,  he  finally  resigned  Jan.  30, 
1864.  .  .  .  His  longing  for  active  service  caused  him  to  apply  for  a 
commission.  Stronger,  but  still  a  sufferer,  and  limping  as  he  did 
throughout  the  rest  of  his  life  from  the  wound  in  his  foot,  on  Dec.  3, 
1864,  he  was  re-commissioned  as  First  Lieutenant  in  the  54th,  then 
near  Devaux's  Neck.  S.  C.  But  he  was  unable  to  do  duty  as  a  line 
officer,  and  was  appointed  Acting  A.  D.  C.  on  the  staff  of  Colonel  E.  N. 
Hallowell  of  the  54th,  then  commanding  the  Second  Brigade  of  General 


280  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

J.  P.  Hatch's  '  Coast  Division.'  Lieutenant  James  was  commissioned 
Captain  of  Company  C,  March  30,  1865,  and  mustered  as  such,  May  12, 
1865.  He  was  with  General  Gilmore's  staff  at  Georgetown,  S.  C.,  about 
April  2.  He  was  mustered  out  with  the  54th,  Aug.  20,  1865.  He  was  a 
sufferer  all  his  life  from  his  wounds,  and  died  at  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  March, 
1883,  aged  thirty-eight.  Thus  passed  away  one  of  the  sweetest,  most  lova 
ble  of  men  ;  a  brave  soldier,  and  the  truest,  most  constant  of  friends.  To 
those  who  knew  him  in  the  old  days  it  is  needless  to  say  how  free  he  was 
from  the  caprices  and  humors  of  most  men.  His  smile  was  always  bright, 
his  words  cheery  and  genial,  his  manner  polished  and  winsome." 

JONES,  EDWARD  LLOYD.  Corporal.  First  Lieutenant  54th  Mass.  Vols., 
May  13,  1863;  Captain,  May  14,  1863;  took  an  active  part  in  the 
assault  on  Fort  Wagner,  S.  C.,  July  18,  1863,  where  he  was  severely 
wounded,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  never  recovered ;  mustered 
out  Dec.  1 6,  1864.  Died  at  Templeton,  Mass.,  Jan.  3,  1886. 

KENT,  BARKER  B.,  JR.  Private.  First  Sergeant  ist  Unattached  Com 
pany,  M.  V.  M.,  April  29,  1864;  discharged,  Aug.  i,  1864,  on 
expiration  of  service.  Captain  Co.  G,  6oth  Regt.  M.  V.  M.,  July 
28,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  30,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 
Died  at  Boston,  Feb.  2,  1873. 

LATHROP,  WILLIAM  HENRY.  Private.  Medical  Cadet  at  Satterlee  Hos 
pital,  Philadelphia,  August,  1863,  where  he  remained  until  October, 

1864,  when  he  was  appointed  Acting  Assistant  Surgeon,  U.  S.  Army, 
and  was  assigned  to  duty  at  the  Depot  Field  Hospital  of  the  2d 
Corps  at  City  Point  and  Alexandria,  Va ;  served  there  until  May  20, 

1865.  Assistant  Surgeon  in  the  55th  Mass.  Vols.,  June  14,  1865. 
When  the  regiment  returned  home,  Aug.  29,  1865,  he  was  mustered 
out  at  Charleston,  S.  C.,  to  take  a  commission   as  Acting  Assistant 
Surgeon,  U.  S.  Army,  which  he  retained  until  Nov.  i,  1866. 

MITCHELL,  FRANK  A.  Private.  Second  Lieutenant  56th  Mass.  Vols., 
Sept.  5,  1863;  First  Lieutenant,  May  17,  1864;  wounded  at  the 
battle  of  the  Wilderness;  discharged  for  disability,  March  13,  1865. 
Was  subsequently  commissioned  Captain  and  Brigade  Quartermaster. 

MORSE,  CHARLES  FAIRBANKS.  Musician.  Musician  3d  Heavy  Artillery. 
Died  Nov.  21,  1878. 

PERKINS,  WILLIAM  EDWARD.  Sergeant.  Second  Lieutenant  2d  Mass. 
Vols.,  Jan.  26,  1863 ;  First  Lieutenant,  July  7,  1863 ;  Captain, 
March  7,  1865  ;  mustered  out  July  14.  1865.  Died  at  Boston, 
Jan.  1 8,  1879.  The  following  extract  is  from  an  appreciative  obitu 
ary  notice  in  the  Boston  "  Advertiser  :  "  — 

"  Most  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  has  he  been  taken  from  our  midst. 
Few  men  of  his  age  have  been  better  known.  He  was  graduated  at 
Harvard  in  the  class  of  1860.  William  at  first  entered  the  service  as  a 
Sergeant  in  Co.  F,  Forty-fourth  Regiment,  but  when  his  term  of  service 


SUBSEQUENT   SERVICE.  28 1 

was  half  over,  he  obtained  a  commission  as  Second  Lieutenant  in  the 
famous  2d  Mass.  Infantry.  On  the  3d  of  May,  1863,  he  was  wounded  at 
the  battle  of  Chancellorsville.  He  rejoined  his  regiment  on  the  evening 
of  the  last  day  of  fighting  at  Gettysburg.  With  the  2d  Mass.  Infantry 
he  went  to  the  West  in  the  fall  of  1863  ;  and  in  1864  he  shared  in  the 
Atlanta  campaign,  and  in  the  famous  march  to  the  sea.  He  was  with 
the  regiment  in  the  march  through  the  Carolinas,  was  at  the  battles  of 
Averysborough  and  Bentonville,  at  the  former  of  which  his  captain,  the 
gallant  Ingersoll  Grafton,  was  killed,  and  he  was  present  at  the  surrender 
of  Gen.  Johnston.  After  the  war  he  took  up  again  his  legal  studies, 
which  the  war  had  interrupted,  and  he  shortly  after  commenced  practice 
in  Boston.  He  was  always  ready,  however,  to  give  up  his  time,  and  his 
practice  even,  at  the  call  of  political  duty.  He  served  for  some  years 
in  the  common  council  and  the  legislature,  and  in  both  capacities  he 
made  himself  known  and  felt  as  a  hard-working,  clear-headed,  sensible 
man.  .  .  .  He  was  a  thoroughly  manly  man.  His  character  was  one  of 
great  simplicity  and  sweetness.  He  was  unselfish,  perfectly  ingenuous, 
giving  his  friendship  unreservedly,  and  always  the  same.  There  was 
nothing  suspicious  or  exacting  about  his  friendship.  He  was  a  fast 
friend,  and  he  attached  his  friends  very  closely  to  him,  and  his  name  will 
long  be  affectionately  remembered." 

POPE,   GEORGE.     Sergeant.     Captain  54th    Mass.   Vols.,  Mayu,   1863; 

severely  wounded  at   the   assault   on    Fort  Wagner,  July  18,   1863. 

Major,   Dec.  3,    1864;    Lieut.-CoL,  July    n,  1865;    mustered   out 

with  regiment,  Aug.  2,   1865. 
RUSSEL,  CABOT  JACKSON.     Sergeant.     Captain  54th  Mass.  Vols.,  May  n, 

1863.     Killed  at  the  assault  on  Fort  Wagner,  July  18,  1863.     The 

New  York  "  Evening  Post  "  says  :  — 

"One  of  the  notable  features  of  our  war  is  the  development  of  char 
acter,  energy,  and  heroism  in  our  young  men.  Beardless  lads  have 
exhibited  proofs  of  mature  capacity,  and  endurance  worthy  of  veterans. 
One  of  the  leaders  of  the  '  Charge  of  the  Dark  Brigade '  at  Fort 
Wagner  was  Captain  Cabot  Jackson  Russel,  of  the  Fifty-fourth  Massa 
chusetts  Regiment  (Colonel  Shaw's  colored  regiment).  This  youth, 
scarcely  nineteen,  after  serving  with  the  Massachusetts  Forty-fourth  in 
North  Carolina,  was  offered  a  captaincy  in  Colonel  Shaw's  regiment, 
and  at  that  notable  charge  he  led  his  men  gallantly  to  the  parapet  of 
the  Rebel  intrenchments,  and  fell  wounded  in  the  hottest  of  the  fight. 
.  .  .  Captain  Russel's  manly  bearing  and  excellent  qualities  endeared 
him  strongly  to  his  friends.  He  gave  evidence  of  precocious  abilities 
as  an  officer,  and  his  early  career  was  full  of  promises  of  honorable 
distinction." 

SIMPKINS,  WILLIAM  HARRIS.  Corporal.  Captain  54th  Mass.  Vols.,  May  n, 
1863.  Killed  at  the  assault  on  Fort  Wagner,  July  18,  1863.  The 
following  is  from  the  Shaw  "  Memorial "  :  — 


282  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 

"  These  two  young  men  [Simpkins  and  RusselJ,  one  not  yet  twenty- 
four  and  the  other  only  nineteen,  served  together  in  Company  F, 
Forty-fourth  Massachusetts  Regiment,  for  the  nine  months'  term,  re 
turning  a  short  time  before  the  regiment  in  order  to  take  commissions 
in  the  Fifty-fourth. 

"  Let  us  give  due  honor  to  the  men  who  sought  commissions  in  the  first 
negro  regiment  from  such  motives  as  theirs.  Captain  Simpkins  wrote 
from  New  Berne  when  his  name  was  selected  for  a  commission  :  '  I  have 
now  to  tell  you  of  a  pretty  important  step  that  I  have  just  taken.  I 
have  given  my  name  to  be  forwarded  to  Massachusetts  for  a  commission 
in  the  Fifty-fourth  (negro)  Regiment,  Colonel  Shaw.  .  .  .  This  is  no 
hasty  conclusion,  no  blind  leap  of  an  enthusiast,  but  the  result  of  much 
hard  thinking.  It  will  not  be  at  first,  and  probably  not  for  a  long  time,  an 
agreeable  position,  for  many  reasons  too  evident  to  state  ;  and  the  man 
who  goes  into  it  resigns  all  chances  in  the  new  white  regiments  that  must 
be  raised.  ...  If  I  am  one  of  the  men  selected,  why  should  I  refuse? 
I  came  out  here,  not  from  any  fancied  fondness  for  a  military  life,  but 
to  help  along  the  good  cause.'  This  was  the  letter  of  a  youth  to  whom 
a  military  life  was  distasteful,  but  who,  following  his  idea  of  duty,  had 
fitted  himself  for  it  by  careful  study  so  well  that,  as  captain  in  the  Fifty- 
fourth,  he  commanded  the  respect  as  well  as  affection  of  his  brother 
officers,  who  say  he  would  have  adorned  the  high  position  which  only 
death  prevented  his  attaining.  .  .  .  The  writer  of  this  knew  Captain 
Simpkins.  His  sweet  and  manly  nature,  his  clear  and  strong  intellect, 
made  his  friendship  dearly  prized  by  all  who  knew  him  well  ;  but  only 
those  nearest  to  him  recognized  under  his  natural  modesty  of  character 
the  possible  hero  whose  life  became  complete  and  glorious  on  the 
bastion  of  Fort  Wagner." 

The  story  of  the  return  of  Captain  Simpkins's  pistol  to  his  family 
several  years  after  the  war  is  too  interesting  to  be  omitted. 

In  September,  1875,  tne  following  letter  appeared  in  the  Boston 
"  Globe." 

OFFICE  OF  R.  A.  W.  JAMES,  ATTORNEY  AND  COUNSELLOR  AT  LAW, 

DYERSBURG,  TENN.,  Sept.  25,  1875. 
To  the  Editors  of  the  GLOBE. 

GENTLEMEN,  —  I  have  in  my  possession  a  six-inch  Smith  &  Wesson 
repeating  pistol,  upon  the  handle  of  which  is  engraved  "  Captain  W.  H. 
Simpkins,  Fifty-fourth  Regiment  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  from  J.  L." 

I  took  it  from  the  body  of  a  dead  Federal  officer  on  the  27th  of  June, 
1864,  at  the  salient  on  the  Kenesaw  Mountain  line,  Georgia. 

As  this  is  the  era  of  reconciliation  between  the  Gray  and  the  Blue, 
and  as  the  gallant  officer  may  have  relatives  or  friends  who  would  ap 
preciate  a  memento  of  him,  I  am  anxious  to  restore  it  to  them  if  they 
will  place  themselves  in  communication  with  me. 

Believing  that  a  mention  of  this,  if  published  in  your  paper  and 
copied  throughout  your  State,  might  lead  to, inquiries  by  the  friends  of 
the  deceased  officer,  I  anxiously  ask  its  insertion.  My  address  is 

R.  A.  W.  JAMES,  Dyersburg,  Tenn. 


SUBSEQUENT   SERVICE.  283 

This  letter  soon  came  to  the  notice  of  Captain  Simpkins's  father, 
the  late  John  Simpkins,  Esq.,  of  Jamaica  Plain,  who  opened  a  cor 
respondence  with  Major  James,  which  resulted  in  the  return  of  the 
pistol,  accompanied  by  the  following  generous  letter  :  — 

OFFICE  OF  R.  A.  W.  JAMES,  ATTORNEY  AND  COUNSELLOR  AT  LAW, 
DYERSBURG,  TENN.,  Oct.  27,  1875. 

JOHN  SIMPKINS,  Esq.,  Boston,  Mass. 

DEAR  SIR, —  Your  favor  of  3d  inst.  came  to  hand  in  due  course  of 
mail,  and  I  would  have  replied  to  it  sooner,  but  for  an  extraordinary  press 
of  business.  I  forwarded  the  pistol  by  mail,  according  to  your  instruc 
tions,  about  a  week  ago,  and  hope  that  you  have  received  it.  I  wish  I 
could  place  you  in  possession  of  such  information  as  would  enable  you  to 
trace  it  back  to  your  son,  but  I  am  afraid  I  shall  never  be  able  to  do 
so.  On  the  2yth  June,  1864,  the  Confederate  line  occupying  the  salient 
to  the  left  of  Kenesaw  Mountain  was  attacked  by  a  Federal  division 
whose  number  and  commander  I  have  forgotten,  but  you  can  ascer 
tain  by  reference  to  almost  any  history  of  the  late  war.  Am  sorry 
I  have  none  at  hand  to  which  I  could  refer  and  inform  you.  The  attack 
was  a  terrible  one,  and  the  fighting,  at  one  time,  almost  hand  to  hand. 
The  attacking  division,  after  a  desperate  charge,  which  was  unsuccess 
ful,  retired.  Expecting  a  countercharge,  a  number  of  our  troops  ad 
vanced  a  short  distance  in  front  of  the  Confederate  works,  where  I  took 
the  pistol  from  the  body  of  an  officer  whose  rank  I  either  did  not 
notice  or  have  forgotten.  He  must  have  been  a  gallant  fellow,  —  prob 
ably  a  friend  and  comrade  of  your  son,  —  for  his  body  was  not  more 
than  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  from  the  Confederate  works  and  surrounded 
by  heaps  of  dead  comrades. 

Receiving  no  orders  to  charge,  and  the  firing  in  a  few  moments  becom 
ing  again  heavy,  those  of  us  who  had  advanced  beyond  the  works  retired 
into  them  again,  and  the  firing  continued  almost  unremittingly  until  on 
the  2Qth  —  I  believe  it  was — a  truce  was  had  and  the  dead  between 
the  lines  were  buried.  The  body  of  the  officer  I  mention  was  lying 
partially  on  a  beautiful  stand  of  colors,  which  bore  the  name  of  some 
regiment,  I  presume,  —  I  know  there  was  some  inscription  on  it.  The 
colors  were  picked  up  and  subsequently  presented  to  General  Hardee, 
to  whose  corps  I  belonged.  General  Hardee  gave  the  colors  back  to  the 
captor  and  told  him  to  give  them  to  his  sweetheart.  I  knew  the  man  ; 
his  name  was  Woltz,  and  he  resided  in  Midway,  East  Tennessee,  but 
I  have  not  heard  of  him  since  the  close  of  the  war,  except  that  he  has 
left  Midway.  General  Hardee  is  dead,  as  you  perhaps  know,  and  I  know 
of  no  means  of  ascertaining  to  what  regiment  the  colors  belonged, 
unless  indeed  some  of  my  comrades  in  arms,  who  are  now  widely  scat 
tered,  should  remember,  which  I  think  improbable. 

The  vicissitudes  of  the  campaign  of  North  Georgia  were  such  that 
minor  circumstances  in  engagements  were  soon  forgotten  except  by 
those  particularly  affected  by  them.  If  I  could  ascertain  to  what  regi 
ment  the  colors  belonged,  —  and  Woltz  could  tell  that,  —  it  might  pos- 


284  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

sibly  furnish  a  clew  which  would  lead  to  the  name  of  the  officer,  for 
I  think  he  and  the  colors  belonged  to  the  same  regiment. 

Any  information  i  may  hereafter  be  able  to  obtain  touching  the 
matters  of  which  you  inquire  I  will  communicate  to  you.  I  shall 
preserve  your  kind  letter  as  a  memento  but  little  less  dear  to  me  than 
the  pistol  to  you.  I  only  care  to  remember  the  late  war  in  so  far  as  it 
teaches  its  participants  to  respect  each  other's  feelings,  honor  each 
other's  bravery  and  magnanimity,  and  love  each  other's  common  mother 
country.  Hoping  to  hear  from  you  again,  and  that  you  have  received 
the  pistol,  1  have  the  honor  to  be 

Yours  fraternally, 

R.  A.  W.  JAMES, 
Formerly  Major  \\th  Regl.  Tenn.  Infantry,  C.  S.  A. 

NOTE.  —  It  will  be  seen  that  the  pistol  has  had  an  eventful  history  :  First 
belonging  to  a  Federal  officer  at  his  death,  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Con 
federates.  It  then  passed  into  the  possession  of  a  Federal  soldier,  when  and 
where  we  can  probably  never  know,  and  then  it  once  more  passed  into  the 
possession  of  a  Confederate  officer  in  the  manner  related.  The  weapon  is  in 
fine  condition,  and  has  evidently  been  carefully  preserved. 

SOULE,  CHARLES  CARROLL.  Private.  Served  as  private  in  Co.  F  from 
October  6  to  October  22,  when  he  was  transferred  to  Company  B 
as  Second  Lieutenant.  (For  subsequent  service,  see  Company  B.) 

TEWKSBURY,  GEORGE  H.  Private.  Corporal  Co.  H,  6th  Mass.  Vols., 
July  1 6,  1864  ;  discharged  Oct.  27,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 

TWEED,  WILLIAM  HENRY.  Private.  Corporal  Co.  A,  42d  Mass.  Vols., 
July  14,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  u,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 

WELD,  GEORGE  MINOT.  Sergeant.  Declined  commission  in  i8th  Mass. 
Vols. 

WESTON,  GEORGE.  Private.  Second  Lieutenant  i8th  Mass.  Infantry 
March  4,  1863.  Died  at  Boston,  Jan.  5,  1864,  of  wounds  received 
at  Rappahannock  Station,  Va.,  Nov.  7,  1863. 

Weston  left  the  company  before  its  term  of  service  expired,  leaving 
behind  him  the  memory  of  a  man  always  prompt  and  brave  in  every 
duty,  and  of  a  singularly  bright  and  cheery  disposition.  One  of  his 
comrades  and  former  classmates  writes  lovingly  of  him  :  — 

"  Weston  had  been  a  good  private  soldier,  and  he  made  an  admirable 
officer,  —  cheerful  and  bright  when  in  health,  uncomplaining  and  patient 
in  sickness,  and  in  the  march  and  on  the  battlefield  the  soul  of  fortitude 
and  courage.  .  .  .  But  the  strength  of  his  character  was,  after  all,  in  the 
exquisite  kindliness  and  geniality  of  his  nature.  This  it  was  which 
made  him  so  universally  a  favorite.  His  sunny  humor  was  a  sort  of 
intellectual  outgrowth  of  those  traits  of  his  moral  nature,  and  seemed  to 
answer  perfectly  to  that  definition  of  a  great  writer  which  makes  humor 
to  consist  of  'love  and  wit.'  Among  his  friends  Weston's  name  was 
almost  a  synonym  for  sunshine."  —  Harvard  Memorial. 


SUBSEQUENT   SERVICE.  285 

WOODWARD,  GEORGE  MOORE.  Private.  First  Lieutenant  55th  Mass. 
Vols.,  June  7,  1863;  Captain,  July  27,  1864;  severely  wounded  in 
the  leg  at  the  battle  of  Honey  Hill,  S.  C.,  Nov.  30,  1864;  mus 
tered  out  with  regiment,  Aug.  29,  1865 

COMPANY  G. 

ADAMS,  JOHN.  Private.  Private  Co.  K,  57th  Mass.  Infantry,  April  6, 
1864  ;  discharged  July  30,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

ADAMS,  WARREN  WHITNEY.  Private.  First  Lieutenant  Co.  B,  6oth  Mass. 
Vols.,  July  1 6,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  30,  1864,  on  expiration  of 
service. 

ALLEN,  WALTER  BALFOUR.  Private.  Private  Co.  B,  nth  Mass.  Vols., 
Aug.  31,  1864;  discharged  June  4,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

BUNKER,  NATHANIEL  WYETH.  Private.  Private  Co.  I,  56th  Mass.  Vols. 
March  10,  1864;  Second  Lieutenant  July  i,  1865,  but  not  mus 
tered;  discharged  July  12,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

CHASE,  LORING  AUGUSTUS.  Corporal.  Sergeant  Co.  F,  5th  Mass.  Vols., 
July  16,  1864  ;  discharged  Nov.  16,  1864;  on  expiration  of  ser 
vice. 

DELANO,  WILLIAM  C.  .Private.  Private  nth  Mass.  Battery,  June  2, 
1864;  Discharged  June  16,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

GARDNER,  JAMES  FRANCIS.  Sergeant.  First  Lieutenant  in  Washington, 
D.  C.,  Rifles,  from  June  i,  1864,  to  July,  1865. 

HERSEY,  ANDREW  J.  Private.  Sergeant  Co.  H,  3d  R.  I.  Cavalry,  April 
15,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  29,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

HERSEY,  JACOB  H.  Private.  Sergeant  Co.  H,  3d  R.  I.  Cavalry,  April 
15,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  29,  1865.  on  expiration  of  service. 

HOBBS,  SETH  J.  Private.  Third  Assistant  Engineer,  U.  S.  Navy.  He 
was  last  seen  in  the  Mediterranean,  on  board  of  a  United  States 
man-of-war. 

HODGES,  ALMON  DANFORTH,  JR.  Private.  Second  Lieutenant  Co.  B, 
42d  Mass.  Infantry,  July  20,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  n,  1864,  on 
expiration  of  service. 

HOLT,  BALLARD,  2d.  Private.  Private  Co.  B,  nth  Mass.  Infantry, 
Aug.  26,  1864  ;  discharged  June  4,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

LANE,  THOMAS  J.  Private.  Quartermaster  Sergeant  4th  Mass.  Cavalry, 
Feb.  18,  1864;  Second  Lieutenant  May  n,  1865;  First  Lieutenant 
Aug.  9,  1865  ;  discharged  Nov.  14,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

LE  CAIN,  CHARLES  LAMONT.  Private.  Corporal  Co.  H,  6th  Mass. 
Vols.,  July  1 6,  1864;  discharged  Oct.  27,  1864,  on  expiration  of 
service. 

,  LEODEGAR  M.  Private.  Second  Lieutenant  56th  Mass.  Infantry, 
July  30,  1863  ;  First  Lieutenant  Nov.  21,  1863  ;  Captain,  Sept.  21, 
1864;  discharged  July  12,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 


286  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

MERRILL,  THOMAS  TOBIE.  Private.  Private  4th  Unattached  Company 
Infantry,  May  3,  1864;  discharged  Aug.  6,  1864,  on  expiration  of 
service.  Private  Co.  D,  ist  Frontier  Cavalry,  Jan.  2,  1865;  dis 
charged  June  30,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

PERKINS,  EZRA.  Private.  Second  Lieutenant  Co.  G,  6oth  Infantry 
M.  V.  M.,  July  19,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  20,  1864,  on  expiration 
of  service. 

POWERS,  STEPHEN  AMBROSE.  Corporal.  Sergeant  Co.  I,  2d  Mass.  Heavy 
Artillery,  Dec.  25,  1863  ;  discharged  Sept.  3,  1865.  After  the  war 
was  in  U  S.  Marine  Corps  for  several  years. 

PRIEST,  JOHN  DODD.  Corporal.  Second  Lieutenant  56th  Mass.  Vols., 
July  30,  1863;  First  Lieutenant,  May  17,  1864.  Died  at  George 
town,  June  22,  1864,  from  a  wound  received  while  on  the  skirmish- 
line  at  "  Salem  Church,"  May  31,  1864. 

The  following  extract  from  the  letter  of  a  brother  officer,  written 
hurriedly  from  the  field,  shows  the  regard  in  which  he  was  held  by 
the  members  of  his  regiment :  — • 

"  It  on  this  occasion  becomes  a  duty,  though  a  sorry  one,  to  commu 
nicate  to  you  the  fact  that  my  dear  friend  and  fellow-officer,  your  de 
voted  son,  was  last  evening,  in  an  action  with  the  enemy,  wounded  by  a 
bullet  in  the  groin. 

"  I  did  not  see  him,  as  I  did  not  come  to  the  rear  until  late  at  night. 
He  was  sent  to  the  rear  in  an  ambulance,  and  will  probably  have  a  fur 
lough  to  go  home.  Poor  words  of  mine  cannot  properly  express  the 
feeling  of  regret  with  which  the  fellow  officers  and  soldiers  of  this 
command  part  with  Lieutenant  Priest.  He  is  a  son  to  be  proud  of,  a 
man  to  be  admired,  a  soldier  whose  conscientious  bravery  is  an  example 
for  officers  and  men  to  follow. 

"  He  is  on  the  eve  of  promotion,  which  is  merited  in  a  high  degree. 
You  have  my  heartfelt  sympathy  in  his  illness,  but  I  hope  to  see  him 
with  us  again  in  his  new  rank  which  he  has  so  gloriously  earned." 

RAYMOND,  WALTER  LANDOR.     Private.     Private  Co.  L,  ist  Mass.  Cavalry, 

Jan.    6,    1864.     Died    Dec.    25,    1864,  of  pneumonia,  at  Salisbury, 

N.  C.,  while  prisoner  of  war. 
SAWYER,  LYMAN  J.     Private.     Private  Co.  C,  3d  Mass.  Heavy  Artillery, 

Oct.  6,  1863  ;  deserted  Jan.  27,  1864. 
TOWNSEND,  ALBERT   W.     Private.     Enlisted    in  a  New   York   regiment. 

Died  at  Florence,  S.  C.,  January,  1865,  while  prisoner  of  war. 
WHITE,  JAMES  GUSHING.      First  Lieutenant.      Captain  2d  Mass.   Heavy 

Artillery,  Aug.  14,  1863;   discharged  Sept.  3,   1865,  on  expiration 

of  service. 
WOOD,  CHARLES.     Private.     Sergeant-Major  56th  Mass.    Infantry,  Dec. 

28,  1863.     Died  Feb.  5,  1864,  at  Readville,  Mass. 


SUBSEQUENT   SERVICE.  287 

COMPANY  H. 

BOLLES,  GEORGE  B.  Private.  Corporal  Co.  F,  5th  Mass.  Infantry,  July 
20,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  30,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 

BUMPUS,  EVERETT  C.  Private.  First  enlisted  as  private  in  Co.  C,  4th 
Regt.  M.  V.  M.,  April  22,  1861  (company  commanded  by  his 
father)  ;  discharged  July  22,  1861,  on  expiration  of  service.  Second 
Lieutenant  loth  Co.  Heavy  Artillery,  Sept.  i,  1863.  Afterwards 
attached  to  3d  Mass.  Heavy  Artillery.  First  Lieutenant  Oct.  28, 
1864;  discharged  Sept.  18,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

DAWES,  RICHARD  CRANCH.  Private.  Acting  Ensign,  U.  S.  Navy,  Dec. 
14,  1863;  resigned  Jan.  n,  1867. 

HERSEY,  JOHN  W.  Private.  Sergeant  Co.  D,  6oth  Infantry  M.  V.  M., 
July  16,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  30,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 

HIGGINS,  BENJAMIN.  Private.  Private  Co.  M.,  3d  Mass.  Heavy  Artillery, 
Aug.  26,  1864;  discharged  June  17,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

HIGGINS,  GEORGE  ALLEN.  Private.  Private  nth  Mass.  Battery,  Jan.  2, 
1864  ;  discharged  June  16,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

HOWE,  ALBERT  RICHARDS.  Second  Lieutenant.  Second  Lieutenant  5th 
Mass.  Cavalry,  Dec.  17,  1863;  ist  Lieutenant,  Jan.  7,  1864;  Cap 
tain,  Jan.  18,  1864;  Major,  Feb.  16,  1865;  mustered  out  Oct. 
31,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service.  Died  of  heart  disease,  at 
Chicago,  June  i,  1884. 

MOORE,  MATTHIAS  J.  Private.  First  Sergeant  i4th  Mass.  Battery,  Feb. 
27,  1864.  Wounded  at  Crossing  of  North  Anna  River.  Second 
Lieutenant,  Jan.  25,  1865  ;  discharged  June  16,  1865,  on  expiration 
of  service.  Died  at  Northfield,  N.  H.,  Nov.  15,  1885,  aged  52 
years. 

MOULTON,  GRAXVILLE  W.  Private.  Private  Co.  A,  2d  Mass.  Cavalry, 
Feb.  26,  1864;  discharged  July  25,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

NASH,  OSBORN  PREBLE.  Private.  Private  in  Signal  Corps,  U.  S.  Army, 
March  30,  1864.  Served  at  New  Orleans,  Natchez,  Vicksburg,  and 
on  the  Mississippi  River;  discharged  Aug.  3,  1865,  on  expiration  of 
service. 

PACKARD,  ELISHA.  Private.  Corporal  Co.  B,  6oth  Mass.  Vols.,  July  16, 
1864  ;  discharged  Nov.  30,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 

PEABODY,  LYMAN  EVERETT.  Private.  Private  Co.  M,  3d  Mass.  Heavy 
Artillery,  Aug.  27,  1864  >  discharged  June  17,  1865,  on  expiration  of 
service. 

RENNARD,  GEORGE  WASHINGTON,  Private.  Private  Co.  G,  58th  Mass. 
Vols.,  March  26,  1864;  discharged  July  13,  '865,  on  expiration  of 
service. 

SAWYER,  WILLARD  G.  Private.  Private  Co.  C,3d  Mass.  Heavy  Artillery, 
Oct.  6,  1863;  deserted  Jan.  27,  1864. 


288  FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS   INFANTRY. 

SMITH,  WILLIAM  V.  Captain.  First  entered  the  service  as  Second  Lieu 
tenant  1 8th  Mass.  Vols.,  Aug.  20,  1861.  Resigned  June  n,  1862. 
Captain  ;th  U.  S.  C.  T.,  Oct.  22,  1863.  Discharged  with  brevet 
rank  of  Lieutenant-Colonel,  Oct.  22,  1866. 

STORROW,  SAMUEL.  Private.  First  Lieutenant  2d  Mass.  Infantry,  Sept. 
22,  1864  5  died  of  wound  received  at  Averysboro',  N.  C.,  March  16, 
1865.  (See  Harvard  Memorial  Biography. ) 

WEEKS,  GEORGE  M.  Private.  Private  Company  G,  56th  Mass.  Infantry, 
Jan.  19,  1865  ;  discharged  June  30,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

COMPANY  I. 

BURBANK,  ALONZO  F.  Private.  Corporal  Co.  E,  6th  Mass.  Infantry, 
July  18,  1864;  discharged  Oct.  27,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 

CHANDLER,  BENJAMIN  PARKER.  Private.  Acting  Civil  Engineer  in  U.  S. 
Navy,  attached  to  the  Pensacola  Navy  Yard.  Died  there  Sept.  12, 
1874,  of  yellow  fever. 

COPITHORNE,  WILLIAM.  Private.  Private  Co.  A,  4Oth  New  Jersey  In 
fantry,  March  10,  1864;  discharged  July  25,  1865,  on  expiration  of 
service. 

CURRIER,  HUGH  LEGARE.  Private.  Private  nth  Mass.  Infantry,  Sept. 
7,  1864;  discharged  June  4,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service.  Died 
at  Everett,  Mass.,  Dec.  29,  1879. 

FLETCHER,  WARREN  GILMAN.  Private.  Private  nth  Mass.  Battery, 
Jan.  2,  1864;  discharged  June  16,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

Foss,  JAMES  MADISON.  Private.  Sergeant  Co.  I,  59th  Mass.  Infantry, 
Aug.  2,  1864.  Died  Nov.  4,  1864,  at  McDougal  Hospital,  New 
York. 

JONES,  HENRY  BROWN.  Sergeant.  First  Lieutenant  nth  Unattached 
Company  Heavy  Artillery  (afterwards  3d  Mass.  Heavy  Artillery), 
Oct.  21,  1863.  Resigned  for  disability,  Dec.  22,  1864. 

MACOMBER,  HENRY  SEYMOUR.  Corporal.  Sergeant  Co.  H,  6th  Infantry 
M.  V.  M.,  July  16,  1864;  discharged  Oct.  27,  1864,  on  expiration 
of  service. 

NEWELL,  JULIUS  T.  Private.  Second  Lieutenant  4th  Heavy  Artillery, 
Aug.  16,  1864;  First  Lieutenant.  Feb.  18,  1865.  On  duty  at  Rich 
mond  and  Manchester,  Va.,  and  for  a  while  served  on  staff  of  Gen. 
Carey;  discharged  June  17,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

PARKER,  STEPHEN  HENRY.  Private.  Sergeant  Co.  D,  59th  Mass.  In 
fantry,  Feb.  9,  1864.  Died  July  30,  1864,  of  wounds  received  at 
Petersburg,  Va. 

POOLE,  FRANCIS  H.  Private.  Enlisted  as  seaman  in  U.  S.  Navy,  Sept. 
21,  1863.  Promoted  mate,  and  was  on  duty  on  U.  S.  S.  S.  "  Wa- 
bash,"  at  Charlestown  Navy  Yard,  for  several  years.  Died  at  Welles- 
ley,  Mass.,  Dec.  4,  1886. 


SUBSEQUENT   SERVICE.  289 

PRATT,  GEORGE  HENRY.  Private.  Sergeant  Co.  E,  56th  Mass.  Infantry, 
Jan.  12,  1864;  discharged  July  12,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

PURBECK,  MARCELLUS  AUGUSTUS.  Private.  Private  in  Signal  Corps, 
U.  S.  Army,  March  29,  1864;  discharged  Aug.  26,  1865,  on  expira 
tion  of  service. 

RHOADES,  LAWRENCE.  Private.  Was  discharged  from  the  regiment  at 
New  Berne,  to  remain  with  Capt.  J.  A.  Goldthwait,  District  Com 
missary,  June  4,  1863.  Was  appointed  Commissary  of  Subsistence, 
U.S.  Vols.,  with  rank  of  Captain,  July  2,  1864;  mustered  out  Aug. 
22,  1865.  Brevet  Major,  U.  S.  V.,  March  26,  1865,  "for  faithful 
and  meritorious  services  during  the  campaign  against  the  city  of 
Mobile  and  its  defences."  Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel,  U.  S.  V., 
March  26,  1865  ;  and  brevet  Colonel,  U.  S.  V.,  March  28,  1865, 
"  for  faithful  and  meritorious  services  during  the  war." 

TAYLOR,  WILLIAM  A.  Private.  Sergeant  Co.  K,  4th  Mass.  Cavalry, 
March  i,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  14,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 
Died  at  Boston,  Dec.  4,  1878. 

TILDEN,  JOSEPH.  Sergeant.  Second  Lieutenant  54th  Mass.  Infantry,  April 
i,  1863 ;  First  Lieutenant,  May  13,  1863.  Transferred  to  55th 
Mass,  as  Captain,  May  27,  1863  ;  discharged  for  disability,  July  14, 
1863  ;  served  as  A.  A.  G.  on  staff  of  General  Pierce  during  the  draft 
riots  in  Boston.  Died  at  Honolulu,  H.  I.,  July  9,  1885,  in  conse 
quence  of  injuries  received  at  fire. 

TYLER,  HERBERT.  Private.  Sergeant  Co.  A,  420!  Mass.  Vols.,  July  14, 
1864;  discharged  Nov.  u,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 

COMPANY  K. 

BAILEY,  WALTER.  Private.  First  enlisted  in  regular  army,  Jan.  3,  1861. 
Sent  with  the  reinforcements  to  Fort  Su inter,  and  was  on  duty  during 
the  bombardment  under  Major  Anderson.  Upon  surrender  of  the 
fort  was  sent  to  New  York,  and  assigned  to  Co.  H,  ad  U.  S.  Infantry, 
and  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Bull  Run.  Discharged  by  civil  author 
ity,  being  under  age.  In  the  fall  of  1863,  re-enlisted  in  Co.  C,  ist 
Vermont  Cavalry.  Wounded  in  front  of  Winchester,  Nov.  12,  1864, 
while  on  picket,  and  discharged  soon  afterwards. 

HUSSELL,  ALFRED  W.  Private.  Private  Co.  G,  58th  Mass.  Infantry, 
March  26,  1864.  Killed  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  July  12,  1864,  while 
acting  as  color-sergeant. 

DORR,  JOHN.  Sergeant.  First  Lieutenant  Co.  G,  6oth  Mass.  Infantry, 
July  19,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  30,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 

FISHER,  ALBERT.  Private.  Private  Co.  L,  ad  Mass.  Heavy  Artillery, 
Dec.  22,  1863;  discharged  Sept.  3,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 

FISHER,  NATHAN  WARREN.  Private.  Private  Co.  K,  42d  Infantry 

'9 


290 


FORTY-FOURTH   MASSACHUSETTS    INFANTRY. 


M.  V.  M.,  July  18,  1864  ;  discharged  Nov.  n,  1864,  on  expiration  of 

service. 
GILMORE,    LUMAN   W.     Private.     Private    i6th    Mass.  Battery,  May    n, 

1864;  discharged  June  27,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service.     Received 

spinal  injury  at  Fairfax  Court  House. 
GOULD,  WILLIAM  A.     Private.      Corporal  Co.  F,  5th  Infantry  M.  V.  M., 

July  20,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  30,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 
GRAY,  CHARLES  L.     Private.     Private  in  Co.  K,  42d  Infantry  M.  V.  M., 

July  18,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  n,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 
HARTSHORN,    LOWELL  EBENEZER.     Private.     Private  Co.  A.  56th  Mass. 

Infantry,  Dec.   26,    1863.     Died  while  prisoner  of  war  at  Anderson- 

ville,  Ga.,  Dec.  17,  1864. 
JESSUP,  WILLIAM  A.     Private.     Private  Co.  K,  42d  Mass.  Infantry,  July 

18,  1864;  discharged  Nov.  u,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 
JONES,    DENNIS    HARTWELL.      Private.     Enlisted  in    44th   Regt.   at  the 

age  of  sixteen.     First  Lieutenant  55th  Mass.  Infantry,  June  19,  1863. 

Killed  accidentally,  March  23,  1864. 
KEEN,  JARIUS  P.     Private.     Private  Co.  K,  56th  Mass.  Infantry,  Jan.  12, 

1864;  discharged  July  20,  1865,  on  expiration  of  service. 
LORING,  FRANK  MINOT.     Private.     Private  in  Co.  B,  6th  Infantry  M.  V.  M., 

July  17,  1864;  discharged  Oct.  27,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 
MOULTON.  EDWARD  C.     Private.     Corporal  Co.  F,  59th  Mass.  Infantry, 

Feb.  20,  1864.     Killed  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  May  6,  1864. 
RHOADES,    CHARLES  J.     Private.     Corporal  Co.    K,  6th  Mass.  Infantry, 

July  14,  1864;  discharged  Oct.  27,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 
TROUT,  THOMAS  K.     Private.     Private  Co.  A,  6th  Mass.  Infantry,  July  15, 

1864;  discharged  Oct.  27,  1864,  on  expiration  of  service. 
WENTWORTH,  GEORGE  AUGUSTUS.     Private.     Private  in  Co.  G,  2d  Mass. 

Cavalry,  March  31,   1864;  discharged  June  28,  1865,  on  expiration 

of  service.     Wounded  in  the  head  by  a  sabre-cut,  at  battle  of  Aldie, 

July  6,  1864. 


APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX. 


RIOT. 

OT  long  after  the  muster  out  of  the  Forty- 
fourth  Regiment  the  draft  riots  occurred, 
and  it  was  called  together  by  the  follow 
ing  order : — 

COMMONWEALTH  OF  MASSACHUSETTS,  HEADQUARTERS, 

BOSTON,  July  14,  1863. 
Special  Order  No.  393. 

Colonel  Lee,  Forty-fourth  Massachusetts  Vol 
unteer   Militia,    will   cause   his   regiment    to   assemble  at   their   armory, 
Boylston  Hall,  forthwith,  and  await  further  orders. 
By  order  of  the  Commander-in-Chief. 

WM.  SCHOULER,  Adjutant- General. 

So  many  men  had  gone  away  on  business  or  pleasure  that  our 
ranks  were  far  from  full,  but  all  who  were  within  call  responded 
promptly.  The  regiment  remained  on  duty  till  the  i6th,  when 
they  were  dismissed  by  the  following  order :  — 

HEADQUARTERS,  FANEUIL  HALL  SQUARE,  BOSTON,  July  21,  1863. 
Special  Order  No.  6. 

Colonel  F.  L.  Lee,  commanding  Forty-fourth  Massachusetts  Volunteer 
Militia,  and  Colonel  Charles  R.  Codman,  commanding  Forty-fifth  Massa 
chusetts  Volunteer  Militia,  are  hereby  ordered  to  dismiss  their  respective 
commands  until  further  orders  In  issuing  this  order  the  general  com 
manding  is  desired  by  his  Excellency  the  Governor  to  express  to  them, 
their  officers  and  men,  his  thanks  for  their  prompt  response  to  the  call  of 
duty  and  the  admirable  manner  in  which  they  have  performed  it. 

Every  duty  has  been  performed  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  com 
manding  general. 

By  command  of 

R.  A.  PEIRCE,  Brigadier-General. 
C.  J.  HIGGINSON,  A.  A.  G. 


294  APPENDIX. 

The  last  order  entered  in  the  regimental  order-book  relates  to 
the  draft  riots,  and  refers  to  sending  out  pickets  and  reconnoitring 
parties.     There  is  a  postscript  in  Colonel  Lee's  own  handwriting, 
—  the  first  time  it  appears  in  the  book,  —  which  is  very  charac 
teristic  to  those  who  knew  him  well :  — 

"  Enjoin  upon  the  officers  to  save  the  detachments  on  duty  as  much 
fatigue  as  possible." 


ASSOCIATION. 


:'•    <  -,,;.' tilt' 


i  EARLY  every  year  since  the  return  of  the 
Forty-fourth  some  of  the  companies  have 
been  in  the  habit  of  holding  reunions, — 
among  them  C,  D,  E,  and  F.  Companies 
C,  E,  and  F  are  regularly  organized,  but 
Company  D  never  formed  an  association, 
although  it  elected  officers  at  each  meeting. 
At  the  reunion  of  the  latter  company,  De 
cember,  1875,  the  subject  of  forming  a 
regimental  association  was  broached  and 
discussed,  and  by  vote  of  those  present 
the  secretary  was  authorized  to  call  a 
meeting  at  Parker's,  Jan.  13,  1876,  of  all 
former  members  of  the  regiment,  to  consider 
the  subject.  About  sixty  responded  ;  and  after  several  questions 
had  been  asked  and  suggestions  made,  the  constitution  as  re 
ported  by  a  self-constituted  committee  was  adopted,  and  the  vote 
passed  to  form  an  association.  The  officers  elected  were : 
Colonel  F.  L.  Lee,  president;  Adjutant  E.  C.  Johnson,  treasurer; 
Corporal  James  B.  Gardner,  secretary.  The  constitution  pro 
vides  that  any  former  member  of  the  regiment  who  has  been 
honorably  discharged  may  become  a  member  of  the  Association 
by  the  payment  of  one  dollar.  This  constitutes  a  life  member 
ship,  as  there  are  no  assessments. 

The  first  annual  meeting  was  appointed  for  December  14,  the 
fourteenth  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  Kinston.  As  many  of 
our  men  wished  to  come  together  earlier,  a  special  meeting  was 
arranged  for  March  14,  the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  New 
Berne.  At  this  special  meeting  there  were  one  hundred  and 
thirteen  members  present.  Annual  meetings  have  been  held 


296  APPENDIX. 

regularly  since  1876,  and  latterly  the  third  Wednesday  of  Jan 
uary  has  been  the  date  selected. 

On  Sept.  17,  1877,  the  regiment  paraded,  —  probably  for  the 
last  time  as  a  regiment, — on  the  occasion  of  the  dedication  of 
the  Soldiers'  Monument.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Cabot  was  in  com 
mand,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  members  answered  at 
roll-call. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1880  a  committee  was  appointed  to 
act  with  similar  committees  from  the  other  regiments  of  our 
brigade  to  arrange  for  a  brigade  reunion.  The  Twenty-fourth 
Massachusetts  and  Tenth  Connecticut  did  not  appoint  commit 
tees  ;  but  the  Fifth  Rhode  Island  and  ours  made  the  necessary 
arrangements,  and  delegates  were  present  from  the  regiments 
first  named.  The  reunion  was  held  at  Rocky  Point  on  July  30, 
about  four  hundred  being  present. 

On  Aug.  29,  1882,  the  regiment  celebrated  the  twentieth  anni 
versary  of  its  going  into  camp,  by  a  gathering  at  the  Point 
of  Pines,  quite  a  delegation  from  the  Fifth  Rhode  Island  being 
present  as  invited  guests. 

Soon  after  the  election  of  Wm.  Garrison  Reed  to  the  secre 
taryship  he  suggested  the  idea  of  securing  for  the  Association 
portraits  of  our  field  and  staff,  and  of  our  brigade,  division,  and 
corps  commanders.  His  suggestion  met  a  favorable  response, 
the  necessary  expenses  were  promptly  subscribed,  and  at  the 
annual  meeting  in  1883  the  pictures  wrere  exhibited  to  the  mem 
bers  of  the  regiment.  They  are  in  crayon,  and  were  drawn  by 
Mr.  Charles  Stanford.  Generals  Foster,  Wessells,  and  Stevenson, 
Adjutant  Hinckley,  and  Colonel  Sisson  are  framed  singly,  and 
hang  in  one  of  the  private  dining-rooms  at  Young's.  The  large 
picture  of  the  field  and  staff  is  stored,  except  when  brought  out 
at  the  regimental  reunions.  The  portrait  of  General  Thomas  G. 
Stevenson  was  presented  by  his  brother,  General  Robert  H. 
Stevenson,  and  that  of  Adjutant  Hinckley  by  his  father,  Isaac 
Hinckley,  Esq.,  of  Philadelphia. 

At  the  annual  reunion  in  January,  1885,  Comrades  Reed  and 
Mclntire  gave  an  account  of  their  recent  trip  to  North  Carolina, 
and  by  aid  of  a  stereopticon  exhibited  views  of  many  places  which 
were  familiar  to  us  when  we  were  wearing  the  blue. 


ASSOCIATION. 


297 


The  officers  of  the  Association  have  been  as  follows : 
PRESIDENTS. 


Colonel  F.  L.  Lee 1876 

Lieutenant-Colonel  E.  C.  Cabot  1877 

Captain  S.  W.  Richardson        .  1878 

First  Lieutenant  Wm.  Hedge  .  1879 

Second  Lieutenant  C.  C.  Soule  1880 

First  Sergeant  A.  C.  Pond  .     .  1881 


Sergeant  G.  B.  Macomber  .     .  1882 

Private  C.  J.  Mclntire     .     .     .  1883 

Adjutant  E.  C.  Johnson  .     .     .  1884 

Captain  C.  Storrow     ....  1885 

Private  E.  C.  Bumpus    .     .     .  1886 


VICE-PRESIDENTS. 

E.  C.  Cabot,  Charles  Hunt,  George  B.  Lombard 1876 

S.  W.  Richardson,  W.  V.  Smith,  W.  Hedge 1877 

H.  D.  Sullivan,  J.  W.  Cartwright,  W.  Hedge 1878 

W.  A.  Simmons,  A.  D.  Stebbins,  A.  B.  Wetherell 1879 

C.  J.  Mclntire,  A.  C.  Pond,  C.  Storrow 1880 

F.  G.  Webster,  George  Pope,  F.  S.  Gifford 1881 

C.  W.  Chamberlain,  R.  C.  Waterman,  H.  W.  Hartwell 1882 

E.  C.  Johnson,  George  L.  Keyes,  W.  C.  Cotton 1883 

H.  D.  Sullivan,  Theodore  M.  Fisher,  C.  Storrow 1884 

John  Parkinson,  W.  H.  Alline,  William  Gillespie 1885 

A.  S.  Hartwell,  L.  W.  Rogers,  George  B.  Lombard 1886 


EXECUTIVE    COMMITTEE. 


COMPANY  A. 

H.  W.  Hartwell 1876 

F.  D.  Montgomery     ....  1877 

L.  W.  Rogers 1878 

E.  R.  Rand 1879 

A.  W.  Edmands 1880 

J.  A.  Wallace 1881 

C.  H.  Bailey 1882 

F.  F.  Gibbs 1883 

J.  E.  Gott 1884 

S.  A.  F.  Whipple 1885 

G.  F.  Wellington 1886 

COMPANY  B. 

S.  A.  Walker 1876 

G.  L.  Keyes 1877 

A.  B.  Wetherell 1878 

C.  C.  Soule 1879 

J.  S.  Barrows 1880 

W.  Gillespie 1881 

G.  W.  Brooks 1882 


E.  D.  Farnuin 
C.  C.  Patten 
H.  N.  Hyde 
C.  W.  Knight 


1883 
1884 
1885 
1886 


COMPANY  C. 


A.  C.  Pond 1876 

G.  R.  Rogers 1877 

W.  Ware 1878 

A.  Cutting 1879,  l884 

W.  H.  Alline 1880 

E.  C.  Burrage 1881 

C.  E.  Barker 1882 

H.  S.  Bean 1883 

J.  W.  Small 1885 

W.  C.  Cotton 1886 

COMPANY  D. 

H.  D.  Sullivan 1876 

W.  K.  Millar     ....     1877,  1881 

George  Sawin 1878 


298 


APPENDIX. 


I.  W.  Moody     .... 

1870 

E.  H.  Adams     .... 
C.  A.  Hovey 

.     .     1878 
1870 

K    A.  Messin°"er    . 

.     .     1880 

W.  H.  Neal      .... 

.     .     1882 

E.  C.  Bumpus    .... 
J.  W.  Hersey     .... 
H.  Merriam       .... 

.     .     1880 
1881,  1883 
.     1882 

S.  S.  Bartlett     .... 

188^ 

Henry  Howard  .... 

.     .     1884 

J    B.  Gardner    . 

.     .     1885 

G.  A.  Murray 

.     .     1884 

E.  B.  Hosmer  .... 

COMPANY  E. 
C.  E.  Tucker              .     . 

.     .     1886 
.     .     1876 

E.  Packard   

.     1885 

O.  P.  Nash  .... 

.     .     1886 

COMPANY  I. 
C.  Sumner 

1876 

T.  T.  Wveth  . 

1877 

G   Russell          .... 

.'     .     1878 

R   Loudon    .... 

1877 

G.  P.  Walcott  .... 

1870 

B    F.  Field,  Jr.       .     . 

.     1878" 

J.  B.  Rice,  Jr  
Leslie  Millar      .... 

1880,  1881 
.     .     1882 

B.  F   Adams     .... 

1870 

J.  T.  Shackford      .     .     . 

.     .     1880 

J.  P.  Flagg,  Jr.       ... 
G.  W.  Wheelwright   .     . 
W.  R.  Adams   .... 

.     .     1883 
.     .     1884 
.     .     1885 

J.  McCrillis,  Jr       .     .     . 

.     .     1881 

T.  Pinkham       .... 

.     .     1882 

VV.  A.  Gaylord 

.     .     1883 

W.'  S   Wilder    .... 

1886 

J.  L.  Eldridge    .... 

.     .     1884 

COMPANY  F. 
A.  W.  Denny 

.     .     1876 

H    B.  Jones  

.     .     1885 

H.  N.  Bridges    .... 

COMPANY  K. 
H.  A.  Thomas  .... 

.     .     1886 

1876,  1  88  1 
1877 

G.  B.  Macomber   . 

1877 

E.  N.  Hewins  .... 
D   Cobb  

1878,  1881 
1870 

J.  F.  Dean   

.     .     1880 

G.  F.  Jones  

.     .     1882 

1878,  1885 
1870 

R.  E.  Ashenden    .     .     . 

.     .     1883 

W   H    Lord 

J.  M.  Gibbs  

.     .     1884 

R   H  Weld 

1880 

H.  B.  Coburn    .... 

.     .     1885 

T    Parkinson 

1882 

J.  W.  Hayward 

.     .     1886 

1883 

COMPANY  G. 
George  Ellis      .... 

.     .     1876 

F    W.  Reynolds     .     .     . 

1884 

I   N.  Meserve 

.     .     1886 

AT  LARGE. 
T.  W.  Fisher    .... 

.     .     1876 

T.  J.  Lawrence  .... 

1877 

F    G.  Webster  .... 

.     .     1878 

C"    T     IVTrTntirp 

l87n 

lo/y 

1880 

J.  W.  Cartvvright  .     .     . 

•     •     1877 

P     9     Vpnrlpll 

18,81 

A.  Jacobs      

.     .     1878 

EC     TTicVipr 

188-? 

W.  C.  Ireland    .... 

1879 

F.  P.  Adams      .... 

WC    Clann 

.      .      1883 

rftfi>i 

F.  S   Gifford           .     .     . 

.     .     1880 

C.  Hunt   

.     .     1881 

H   Newhall 

i88r 

J.  R.  Kendall    .... 

.     .     1882 

1886 

G.  R.  Rogers    .... 

.     .     1883 

COMPANY  H. 
F    M    Mears 

1876 

J    Owens  .          .... 

.     .     1884 

Fred.  Odiorne 

.     .     1885 

W  B  Allen                 .     . 

.     1886 

R.  Mao-uire  . 

1877 

ASSOCIATION.  299 

At  the  time  of  going  to  press  three  hundred  and  thirty-nine 
have  joined  the  Association. 

At  the  annual  meeting,  Jan.  20,  1886,  the  treasurer  showed 
a  balance  on  hand  in  the  general  fund  of  $508.65  ;  and  the  trus 
tees  of  the  Permanent  Fund,  its  nucleus  being  the  old  regimental 
fund  which  had  been  in  the  hands  of  the  colonel  since  the  war, 
at  time  of  the  transfer  amounting  to  $875.86,  reported  on  hand 
$1,972.68. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  Association  will  continue  so  long  as 
a  single  member  can  answer  "  Here  "  at  roll-call. 


ROSTER. 


To  the  members  of  the  Forty-fourth  the  ROSTER  will  undoubt 
edly  be  one  of  the  most  interesting  features  of  the  Record.  The 
plan  of  arranging  the  names  in  alphabetical  order,  without  refer 
ence  to  company  or  rank,  was  one  of  the  first  matters  agreed 
upon  after  it  was  determined  to  compile  a  regimental  history 
(1879),  and  is,  we  think,  original  with  this  Committee. 

A  great  deal  of  time  has  been  devoted  to  ascertaining  the 
present  addresses  and  occupations  of  the  members.  Every  one 
whose  address  is  here  given  has  replied  to  communications  sent 
him;  or,  as  letters  sent  in  "request"  envelopes  to  the  given 
address  have  not  been  returned,  we  presume  it  to  be  correct. 
As  residences  and  occupations  are  being  constantly  changed, 
it  is  of  course  practically  impossible  to  have  the  Roster  abso 
lutely  perfect,  but  it  is  believed  that  it  will  be  found  essentially 
reliable. 

Where  the  date  of  muster  is  not  given,  it  was  Sept.  12,  1862; 
and  where  date  of  discharge  is  not  stated,  it  was  June  18,  1863. 

Readers  noting  errors,  omissions,  or  changes  will  confer  a 
favor  if  they  will  notify  J.  B.  GARDNER,  23  Crawford  Street, 
Roxbury,  Mass.,  so  that  the  official  Roster  of  the  Regimen 
tal  Association  may  be  kept  at  all  times  as  nearly  correct  as 
possible. 


302 


APPENDIX. 


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APPENDIX. 


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Re-enlisted.  Chapter  XV. 

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Re-enlisted.  Chapter  XV. 
Re-enlisted.  Chapter  XV. 

Re-enlisted.  Chapter  XV. 

Died  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  1885. 

Re-enlisted.  Chapter  XV.  Died 
at  Beaufort,  N.  C.,  Sept.  4,  1865. 
Dis.  Oct.  4,  1862.  Disability. 
Wounded  at  Washington,  N.  C. 
Died  at  Wilson,  N.  C.,  April  14, 
1863. 
Re-enlisted.  Chapter  XV. 

Re-enlisted.  Chapter  XV. 
Re-enlisted.  Chapter  XV. 
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Hinckley,  Wallace 

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Hobart,  David  K. 

Holden,  Nathaniel 
Holland,  Charles  P 
Holmes,  John  R. 
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Re-enlisted.  Chapter  XV. 
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1077. 

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APPENDIX. 


Remarks. 

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Re-enlisted.  Chapter  XV. 
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APPENDIX. 


Remarks. 

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332 


APPENDIX. 


Remarks. 

Dis.  Apr.  26,  1863.  Promotion. 
Re-enlisted.  Chapter  XV. 

> 

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Re-enlisted.  Chapter  XV. 

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334 


APPENDIX. 


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336 


APPENDIX. 


AGE   AT   ENLISTMENT.1 


Age. 

Field 
and 
Staff. 

A 

B 

c 

D 

E 

F 

G 

H 

I 

K 

Total. 

16  to  17 

I 

2 

I 

2 

2 

2 

3 

13 

18 

I 

16 

15 

13 

!3 

22 

13 

23 

19 

22 

24 

181 

*9 

12 

7 

24 

10 

25 

17 

H 

14 

18 

9 

ISO 

20 

12 

ii 

J5 

21 

II 

6 

15 

12 

12 

12 

127 

21 

I 

10 

4 

'5 

14 

II 

17 

9 

6 

'3 

6 

1  06 

22 

3 

IO 

7 

14 

9 

7 

14 

7 

13 

9 

10 

103 

2? 

6 

8 

7 

ii 

6 

8 

7 

5 

8 

5 

7i 

24 

7 

4 

6 

7 

7 

5 

4 

7 

4 

6 

57 

25 

3 

4 

8 

3 

3 

5 

3 

4 

7 

3 

5 

48 

26  to  30 

i 

16 

24 

3 

ii 

6 

H 

10 

12 

IO 

13 

120 

.31  to  35 

3 

^> 

3 

2 

3 

3 

3 

3 

I 

2 

5 

3° 

36  to  40 

2 

4 

9 

I 

i 

i 

2 

3 

23 

41  to  44 

I 

i 

i 

I 

i 

I 

i 

7 

Total 

IS 

101 

i°3 

IO4 

102 

104 

103 

IOO 

IOI 

1  02 

IOI 

1036 

1  Many  of  the  men  gave  their  ages  more  than  they  actually  were,  fearing  that  they  would  be  rejected  were 
the  right  ages  known.  (The  compiler  knows  personally  of  several,  reported  at  eighteen,  who  were  barely 
sixteen.) 


RECAPITULATION:    PLACES   OF  ENLISTMENT. 


337 


CITIES   AND   TOWNS   TO   WHICH    MEMBERS    WERE   CREDITED 
AT   ENLISTMENT. 


Cities  &  Towns. 

Field  ' 
and 
Staff. 

A 

B 

c 

D 

E 

F 

G 

H 

I 

K 

Total. 

Boston  .     . 

6 

26 

2 

56 

45 

45 

44 

37 

27 

38 

16 

342 

Newton 

I 

93 

i 

i 

i 

I 

i 

99 

Cambridge 

7 

IO 

12 

20 

10 

7 

3 

5 

i 

75 

Dorchester 

4 

4 

2 

20 

7 

37 

Framingham 

i 

2 

2 

3° 

35 

Roxburv    • 

I 

3 

3 

3 

3 

6 

5 

3 

i 

2 

3° 

Walpole     . 

30 

30 

W.  Roxbury 

I 

i 

3 

2 

22 

29 

Walt  ham    . 

6 

2 

15 

2 

i 

26 

Maiden 

3 

2 

2 

I 

8 

8 

I 

25 

Chelsea      . 

3 

i 

I 

2 

9 

I 

3 

20 

Weston 

i 

18 

I 

20 

Neeclham  . 

ii 

2 

I 

'4 

W.  Camb.  . 

7 

5 

2 

14 

Andover    . 

i 

II 

i 

J3 

Brookline  . 

I 

I 

8 

i 

2 

i3 

No.  Andover 

7 

i 

4 

12 

Sherborn  . 

12 

12 

Other  towns 
in  Mass.1 

5 

22 

4 

13 

29 

J5 

24 

17 

26 

16 

M 

I85 

Other  towns 
outside  State2 

i 

4 

5 

Total     .     . 

15 

101 

I°3 

104 

IO2 

104 

i°3 

IOO 

IOI 

102 

IOI 

1036 

1  This  includes  sixty-three  cities  and  towns.     One  town  is  credited  with  nine  members  ;  three,  with  eight ; 
three,  with  seven;  three,  with  six;  four,  with  five;  five,  with  four;  eight,  with  three:  thirteen,  with  two: 
and  twenty-three  towns  with  one  member  each. 

2  This  represents  the  States  of  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Vermont,  and  Wisconsin. 


338 


APPENDIX. 


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RECAPITULATION  :      RESIDENCES. 


339 


OF   LAST   KN6WN   RESIDENCES  OF  THOSE   MEMBERS   FROM  WHOM   WE   HAVE 
HEARD   OR   OF   WHOM   WE   HAVE   OBTAINED   RELIABLE    INFORMATION. 


States. 

Field 
and 
Staff. 

A 

B 

C 

D 

E 

F 

3° 
'5 

45 

i 
i 

2 

I 
I 
I 
I 

2 

I 
I 

I 

I 

I 

7 
i 

3 
i 

G 

H 

I 

K 

Total. 

Boston     
Mass,  (except  Boston)  .     . 

Total  in  Mass. 

Arizona  
Arkansas     

4 
3 

7 

i 

8 

2O 

37 

57 

i 

i 
i 

i 

i 

6 

i 

i 

i 

i 

72 

2O 
3° 

5° 

3 

2 
I 

I 
I 

I 

2 

I 

I 
I 

I 
I 

38 
9 

47 

i 
i 

i 

3 
i 

i 

i 

8 

i 
i 

i 
i 

41 

12 

53 
i 

i 

2 

4 
i 

2 

I 

I 
I 

9 
i 

i 

i 
i 

34 

24 

58 

2 

I 
I 

3 

i 
i 

10 

33 
i? 

5° 

i 
3 

2 

I 
I 

I 
2 

I 

5 

i 
i 

i 

13 

34 

47 
i 

3 

3 
i 

i 
i 

i 

i 
i 

i 
i 

2 
I 

2 

I 
I 

I 
I 

27 
17 

44 

3 

i 

i 

i 
i 

i 

i 

i 

i 

i 

3 

-> 

i 

30 

52 

I 
I 

I 

I 
I 

I 
2 

I 
I 
I 

282 
228 

5!° 

2 
I 

2 
13 

3 
10 

i 

12 
I 

I 
13 

3 
4 

5 
i 

i 

5 
5 
4 

I 

6 

i 

6 

53 

2 

6 

4 

i 

2 

6 

California  (except  San  Fran 
cisco)   

San  Francisco    .     .     . 
Colorado       

Connecticut 

Dakota    ... 

Delaware     

Florida     
Georgia 

Illinois  (except  Chicago)  . 
Chicago     ... 

Iowa    

Kansas    

Kentucky    

Louisiana     .... 

Maine      .... 

Maryland     

Michigan      

Minnesota    

Missouri  

Nebraska     

New  Hampshire  .... 
New  Jersey       
New  Mexico     

New  York  (except  New  York 
City  and  Brooklyn)    . 
N.  Y.  City  and  Brooklyn 
Ohio              

Pennsylvania    

Rhode  Island   
South  Carolina     .... 

Washington,  D.  C.   . 

New  Brunswick    .... 

Total     .     .     . 

66 

69 

81 

82 

75 

72 

/I 

64 

63 

723 

340 


APPENDIX. 


RECAPITULATION 

OF  LAST  KNOWN  OCCUPATIONS  OF  THOSE  MEMBERS  FROM  WHOM  WE  HAVE 
HEARD,  OR  OF  WHOM  WE  HAVE  OBTAINED  RELIABLE  INFORMATION 
(ARRANGED  IN  NUMERICAL  ORDER). 


Field 
and 
Staff 

A 

B 

C 

D 

E 

F 

G 

H 

I 

K 

Total. 

Skilled  Mechanics     ... 
Clerks,  etc  

II 

2 

16 

A 

1 
i 
8 

7 
10 

3 
1  1 

4 

-7 

I 
q 

9 

4 

9 

6 

13 

I 

76 

C7 

Mechanical  or  Manufacturing 
(Principals  or  Managers) 
Fanners,  Planters,  Stock,  etc. 
Miscellaneous  

J3 
8 
1  1 

3 

6 

-5 

4 

c 

9 
1 

5 
6 

Q 

i 

4 

c 

6 

5 

2 

8 

r 

3 
4 
6 

6 

o 

55 
53 

C2 

Merchants,  wholesale    . 
Unknown      

I 

i 

7 

I 

2 

10 

4 

4. 

6 

5 

6 

6 

4 

7 

3 

10 

$ 

Merchants,  retail  .... 
Salesmen      
Mercantile,  miscellaneous  . 
Professional,  miscellaneous 
Brokers  and  Com.  Merchants 
Bookkeepers,  etc. 
R.  R.  Officers  and  Employees 
Government   Officials    (Na 
tional,  State,  and  City)  . 
Foremen  &  Superintendents 
Coachmen,  Laborers,  etc. 
Lawyers  
Bankers  and  Bank  Officers 
Out  of  business    .... 
Clergymen  . 

2 
I 

I 

3 
3 

i 
i 

-7 

I 
I 

2 

4 

3 

i 
3 

i 
6 
3 

i 
j 

7 
7 
3 

6 

2 

3 

i 
i 

4 
4 
4 
4 

5 
i 

2 

I 
2 

I 

2 
I 

5 
5 
5 
i 

3 

2 

3 
i 

i 
i 
i 

2 

3 
7 
i 

4 
5 
5 
i 

4 

4 
3 

c 

2 

2 

3 
3 
3 
i 

4 
i 

3 
i 

3 

2 

6 
3 

2 
I 

3 

3 
i 
i 

8 

i 

O 

i 

i 
i 

i 

i 

3 
4 
i 

2 

3 
3 
i 

44 
39 
24 
23 

23 

o  ^ 

21 

'9 

17 
M 

13 
II 
I  I 
IO 

Physicians    

I 

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I 

4 

0 

Insurance     

2 

I 

-J 

I 

i 

8 

Theatrical    

I 

4 

2 

7 

Real  Estate      

I 

i 

2 

i 

,, 

7 

Express   

I 

2 

i 

I 

2 

7 

Treasurers  

2 

I 

I 

6 

Total     .     .     . 

8 

72 

66 

69 

81 

82 

75 

72 

71 

64 

63 

723 

SIGNATURES  OF  MEMBERS  OF  THE 
44rn    REGIMENT    MASSACHUSETTS    VOLS. 

Reproduced  from  Photographic  Copy  of  Pay  Rolls  kindly  furnished 
the  Committee  by 

ADJT.   GEN.    DRUM,   U.   S.   A. 


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INDEX. 


INDEX. 


ABBOTT,  HENRY  L .,  16. 
Adams,  John,  285. 
Adams,  John  Quincy,  8. 
Adams,  Warren  W.,  285. 
Adams,  William  R.,  276. 
Allen,  Dr.  C.  H.,  236. 
Allen,  Walter  B.,  236. 
Anderson,  Colonel,  65. 
Andrew,  Gov.  John  A  ,  10,  19. 
Association,  Regimental,  295. 
Atkins,  Francis  H.,  278. 
Attwood,  Cornelius  G.,  223. 


RABCOCK,  GEORGE  L.,  213. 

Bacon,  John  F.,  82. 

Bailey,  Walter,  289. 

Ballister,  Joseph,  3. 

Band,   Regimental,  31,    92,    213;    list    of 

members,  82. 
Barker,  Eben  F.,  271. 
Barnard,  Jonathan  G.,  3. 
Barracks  at  New  Berne,  71 ;  cleaning  up, 

79- 

Bartlett,  Edward  J.,  278. 
Bartlett,  Gen.  William  F.,  16. 
Batchelder's  Creek,  198. 
Bates,  Daniel  D.,  274. 
Bay  State  Forty-fourth,  106. 
Beal,  Alexander,  38. 
Beal,  Charles  W.,  274. 
Beal,  George  W.,  274. 
Bedell,  Charles  H.,  192. 
Beebe.  J.  M.,  &  Co.,  37,  38. 
Bclger's  Battery,  140,  143,  175. 
Belger,  Capt.  James,  236. 
Bellows,  Henry  H.,  271. 
Bickmore,  Albert  S.,  84. 
Bigelovv,  George  Tyler,  9. 
Blake,  James  II.,  Jr.,  28,  8l. 
Blake,  Lemuel,  i,  2,  3,  6. 
Blockhouse  Squad,  83. 
Blount's  Creek,  175. 
Bolles,  George  B.,  287. 


Boston  Brass  Band,  31. 

Bounties,  25. 

Boxes  from  home,  93. 

Bradish,  Albert  H.,  276. 

Brewster,  James  B.,  276. 

Brice's  Creek,  83. 

Brigades,  i8th  Army  Corps,  58. 

Briggs,  James  W.,  72,  81,  115. 

Broad  Street  riot,  9. 

Brooks,  George  W.,  272. 

Brown,  B.  F.  &  Co.,  93. 

Brown,  Frederick  T.,  73. 

Brown,  Hezekiah,  93. 

Brown,  Stephen,  I,  2. 

Browne,  Lieut.-Col.  Albert  G.,  Jr.,  219. 

Bryant,  Albert,  273. 

Buck,  Edward  R.,  28. 

Bumpus,  Everett  C.,  287. 

Bunker  Hill  Monument,  9,  10. 

Bunker,  Nathaniel  W.,  285. 

Burbank,  Alonzo  F.,  288. 

Burnside  Expedition,  54. 

Burrage,  Mr. ,  37. 

Bush,  Francis,  Jr.,  258. 
Bussell,  Alfred  W.,  265,  289. 
Butler,  Albert  L.,  84,  259. 


CALLENDAR,  JOSEPH,  Jr.,  3. 

Camp  Life,  69. 

Camp,    at     Readville,     24;     Stevenson 

(Thomas  G.),  70;    Lee,  204. 
Carter,  George  H.,  274. 
Cartwright,  Charles  W.,  38. 
Cartwright,  James  W.,  276. 
Cemetery,  National,  at  New  Berne,  227. 
Chandler,  Benjamin  P.,  265,  288. 
Channing  Circle  of  Newton,  236. 
Chase,  Loring  A.,  285. 
Child,  Isaac,  3. 
Clapp,  David  C.,  272. 
Clark.  James  F.,  84. 
Cleaning  up,  79. 
Cobb,  Sylvanus,  30. 


3<5o 


INDEX. 


Cobb,  Mrs.  Sylvanus,  30. 

Cobb  "  Twins,"  30,  85. 

Coffin,  Jared,  84. 

Cogswell,  Edward  R.,  278. 

Company  B,  reception  at  Newton,  219. 

Companies  F  and  B,  Picket  Duty,  197. 

Conant,  John  H.,  84,  271. 

Concerts,  85. 

Confederate   Forces  in  North   Carolina, 

57  ;  at  Washington,  N.  C.,  170. 
"  Constitution,"  frigate,  5,  6. 
Contrabands,  88. 

Convent  at  Charlestown,  burning  of,  9. 
Converse,  J.  C.,  &  Co.,  38. 
Cook,  Charles  E.,  278. 
Cootey,  Philip  I.,  273. 
Copithorne,  William,  288. 
Correspondence,  89. 
Courtis,  A.  Stacy,  259. 
Cragin,  George  N.,  271. 
Crane,  Edward  W.,  274. 
Crane,  William  D.,  263,  265,  274. 
Cross,  Henry  C.,  276. 
Cumston,  James  S.,  86. 
Cumston,  Miss  Lizzie  G.,  236. 
Cumston,  William,  38. 
Cunningham,  Charles  A.,  28,  273. 
Currier,  Hugh  L.,  288. 
Curtis,  Joseph  H.,  82. 


DABNEY,  Maj.  CHARLES  W.,  257. 

Daily  routine  of  duty,  73. 

Dalton,  James,  i,  6. 

Dana,  George,  2. 

Daniel,  Captain,  105. 

Dawes,  Richard  C.,  287. 

Dean,  Joseph  F.,  240. 

Delano,  William  C.,  285. 

Demeritt,  Charles  H.,  71. 

Demond,  Alpheus,  272. 

Dennie,  Thomas,  Jr.,  3. 

De  Peyster,  Richard  V.,  116,  235,  238. 

Derby,  Oliver  C.,  276. 

Desertions,  list  of,  247. 

Detailed  men,  81. 

Dexter,  Miss  Mary  L.,  236. 

Died  of  disease,  248 ;  of  wounds,  247. 

Discharged  from  disability,  249. 

Discipline,  86. 

Dodge,  Albert  L.,  278. 

Dorr,  John,  289. 

Dover  Swamp,  223. 

Draft  Riot,  293. 

Dramatic  performances,  85. 

Draper,  Lorenzo,  3. 

Drew,  Arthur,  273. 

Drummers,  list  of,  82. 


Dwight,  Lieut.-Col.  Wilder,  16,  35. 
Dyer,  Mr.,  217. 


EDMANDS,  ALBERT  W.,  28,  84. 
Eighteenth  Army  Corps,  58. 
Ellsworth  Zouaves,  10. 
Emery,  Caleb,  his  school,  14. 
Entertainments,  85,  100. 
"  Escort,"  steamer,  67,  181. 
Eustis,  Governor,  8,  9. 
Everett,  George  H.,  83. 
Ewer,  Charles  C.,  28,  100. 


FAREWELL  orders,  215. 

Field,  Benjamin  F.,  Jr.,  81. 

Fifers,  list  of,  82. 

Fifth  Rhode  Island,  67,  195. 

Fifty-eighth  Pennsylvania,  66,  200. 

Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts,  262. 

Fire  in  Boston,  8,  9. 

Fish,  Abner  C.,  89. 

Fisher,  Albert,  289. 

Fisher,  Edwin  S.,  240. 

Fisher,  Nathan  W.,  289. 

Fisher,  Dr.  Theodore  W.,  72,  127,  234. 

Fletcher,  Warren  G.,  288. 

Foraging,  122,  123. 

Forbes,  Francis  H.,  72. 

Forces  in  North  Carolina,  Confederate, 

57 ;  Union,  56. 

Fort  Anderson,  attack  on,  65,  107. 
Fort  Independence,  13. 
Forty-fifth  Massachusetts,  22,  206. 
Forty-third  Massachu.setts,  22. 
Foss,  James  M.,  265,  288. 
Foster,  George  B.,  92. 
Foster,  George  H.,  92. 
Foster,  John  G.,  55,  6r. 
Fourth  Battalion,  n,  15;  Roster  of,  14, 

18 ;  Quickstep,  16. 
Fuller,  Albert,  271. 
Fuller,  Ezra  N.,  261. 
Fund,  regimental,  38. 


GALLOUPE,  Miss  SADIE  K.,  236. 
Gardner,  Francis,  218. 
Gardner,  James  B.,  49. 
Gardner,  James  F.,  285. 
Garnett,  General,  193. 
Gifford,  Frederick  S.,  271. 
Gilbert,  Virgil,  169,  171. 
Gillespie,  William,  272. 
Gil  more,  Luman  W.,  290. 
Gilmore,  P.  S.,  16,  213. 
Goff,  William  C.,  275. 


INDEX. 


361 


Goldsboro',  133;  revisited,  224.    . 

Goodwin,  Frank,  278. 

Gordon,  George  H.,  n. 

Gore,  Watson,  2. 

Gould,  William  A.,  290. 

Graham,  Lieutenant,  142. 

Grant,  Frederick,  94. 

Grant,  Moses,  Jr.,  2. 

Gray,  Charles  L.,  290. 

Gray,  William,  Jr.,  38. 

Gregg,  Miss  Josie,  29. 

Greenough,  William,  Jr.,  2. 

Grice  or  Grist  place,  160,  229. 

Guard,  Camp,  77;  mounting,  76;  police, 

77- 

"  Guerriere,"  frigate,  6. 
Gum  Swamp,  203. 


HAINES,  ZENAS  T.,  18,  25,  98,  104. 

Hale,  Nathan,  2. 

Hall,  Rev.  Edward  H.,  238. 

Hall,  George  F.,  92. 

Hall,  George  S.,  92. 

Hallett  &  Cumston,  38,  213. 

"  Ham  Fat"  Expedition,  147. 

Hamilton,  119,  122,  126. 

Hard-tack  throwing,  88. 

Harding,  Nathan  F  ,  272. 

Harris,  Horatio,  38. 

Harrison,  William  Henry,  10. 

Hartshorn,  Lowell  E.,  266,  290. 

Hartwell,  Alfred  S.,  73,  278. 

Harvard  College,  19. 

Hatch,  Frank  W.,  28. 

Hay,  Joseph,  3. 

Hedge,  William,  72,  273. 

Hemenway,  Augustus  A.,  275. 

Henshaw,  Joseph  B.,  2. 

Hersey,  Andrew  J.,  285 

Hersey,  Jacob  H.,  285. 

Hersey,  John  W.,  287. 

Higgins,  Benjamin,  287. 

Higgins,  George  A.,  287. 

Hight,  Henry  O.,  276. 

Hill,  Gen.  D.  H.,  64. 

Hill's  Point,  187. 

Hinckley,  Wallace,  72,  258,  270. 

Hobart,  David  Kimball,  167,  260. 

Hobart,  George  H.,  275. 

Hobbs,  Seth  J.,  285. 

Hodges,  Almon  D.,  Jr.,  285. 

Holt,  Ballard,  2d,  285. 

"  Home  Guard,"  106. 

Homer,  Henry  A.,  276. 

Hooke,  Charles,  105. 

Hopkinson,  Francis  C.,  84,  261. 

Horton,  Andrew  T.,  273. 


Hovey,  Charles  A.,  213. 

Hovey,  Charles  F.,  &  Co.,  38. 

Howard,  Davis,  98,  105. 

Howard,  Henry,  105. 

Howard,  Matthew,  261. 

Howard,  Willard,  27,  65,  104,  105. 

Howe,  Albert  R.,  73,  287. 

Howe,  J.,  Jr.,  7. 

Hoyt,  Henry  M.,  279. 

Hubbard,  Hiram,  Jr.,  84. 

Hunt,  Harry,  107. 

Hunt,  Samuel,  3. 

Hutchins,  Col.  William  V.,  5. 


IL  RECRUITIO,  105. 
Ingraham,  A.  W.,  212,  213. 
Ingraham,  William  F.,  212. 
Inspections,  79. 
"  Invalid  Guard,"  82,  251. 
Ireland,  William  H.,  236. 


JACOBS,  AUGUSTUS,  276. 
Jacobs,  Augustus  P.,  115. 
James,  Garth  W.,  264,  279. 
Jarvis,  Deming,  3. 
Jessup,  William  A.,  290. 
Johnson,  Edward  C.,  72. 
Johnson,  Henry  W.,  172. 
Jones,  Colonel,  200. 
Jones,  Dennis  H.,  290. 
Jones,  Edward  L.,  280. 
Jones,  Henry  B.,  288. 
Jones,  Irving,  273. 
Jones,  Sylvester  A.,  273. 
Joy,  Charles  F.,  276. 


KEEN,  JAKIUS  P.,  290. 
Kenrick,  John,  72. 
Kent,  Barker  B.,  Jr.,  280. 
Kent,  Frederick  A.,  276. 
Killed,  list  of,  247. 
Kimball,  Henry  G.,  242. 

King, ,  231. 

King,  B.  Flint,  276. 
King,  E.  &  F.,  &  Co.,  38. 
Kinston,  135,  230. 


LAFAYETTE,  General,  8. 
Lane,  Thomas  J.,  285. 
Lathrop,  William  II.,  280. 
Lawrence,  Abbott,  2,  7. 
Lawrence,  Charles  C.,  212 
Lawrence,  Theodore  J  ,  167. 
Le  Cain,  Charles  L  ,  285. 


362 


INDEX. 


Lee,  Francis  L.,  17,  86,  99,  117. 
Lee,  Mrs.  Francis  L.,  38. 
Leonard,  John,  167. 
Letter-writing,  89. 
Lewis,  Charles  P.,  95. 
Lewis,  Win.  K.,  &  Bro.,  95. 
Lipp,  Leodegar  M.,  285. 
Little  Creek,  109. 
Littlefield,  Henry  W.,  275. 
Livermore,  William  B.,  277. 
Lombard,  George,  72. 
Lombard,  Jacob,  72. 
Loring,  Frank  M.,  290. 
Lovett,  Miss  Nellie  E.,  236. 
Lyon,  Henry,  84. 

MACDEARMID,  Lieutenant,  172,  180,  181 
Macomber,  Grenville  B  ,  92. 
Macomber,  Henry  S.,  288. 
Mansfield,  Isaac,  I. 
Mansfield,  Theodore  F.,  272. 
Mason,  Thomas  D.,  94. 
Massachusetts  Rifle  Club,  17. 
McCleary,  Mrs.  S.  F.,  4. 

McCready, ,  105. 

Mclntire,' Charles  J.,  223. 

McLaughlin,  Capt  X.  B,  31. 

McPhee,  Dr.  Daniel,  246. 

Medical  and  Surgical,  233. 

Mending  clothes,  90. 

Mercantile  Library  Association,  23. 

Merrill,  Thomas  f .,  286. 

Midnight  drills,  87. 

Mitchell,  Francis  A.,  280. 

Monroe,  Theodore  J  ,  273. 

Moore,  Matthias  J.,  287. 

Moreheacl  City,  47. 

Morse,  Charles,  116,  231,  259. 

Morse,  Charles  F.,  280. 

Morse,  George  J.,  273. 

Moulton,  Edward  C.,  290. 

Moulton,  Granville  W.,  287. 

Mount  Olive  Station,  141. 

Mulliken,  John,  73. 

Murclock,  Charles  C.,  84. 

Musicians,  list  of,  82. 

Muster  in,  30. 

Muster  out,  222. 

Myers,  John  H.,  Jr.,  277. 

Myrick,  David,  177. 

NAGLE,  "  Corporal  of  the  Guard,"  37. 
"  Nancy  Skittlerop,"  105. 
Nash,  Osborn  P.,  287. 
New  Berne  and  its  Garrison,  53. 
New  Berne,  voyage  to,  41;  attack  on,  65, 
107. 


Newell,  James  S.,  277. 

Newell,  Julius  T.,  288. 

New  England  Guards,  i  ;  motto  of,  4  ; 
cannon,  5;  encampments,  6,  8,  9 ;  re 
cruits  furnished  by,  13;  commanders 
of,  14. 

Newhall,  Cheever,  3. 

Newspapers,  91. 

Nicknames,  96. 

Ninety-second  New  York,  65,  107. 

North  Carolina  Revisited,  223. 

Nourse,  Harrison,  275. 

Noyes,  George  E.,  240. 

O'BRIEN,  Lieut  "TEDDY,"  168,  193. 
Opera,  105. 
Orange  pickle,  94. 
Organization,  21. 


PACKARD,  EUSHA,  287. 
Palfrey,  Francis  W.,  16. 
Park,  Charles  S.,  277. 
Parker,  Harrison,  2cl,  115. 
Parker,  Stephen  II  ,  265,  288. 
Parkinson,  John,  Jr.,  73. 
Parsons,  Michael  A.,  116. 
Patten,  Thomas  H.,  277. 
Payne,  John,  192. 
Peabody,  Lyman  E.,  287. 
Peakes,  John  D.,  115. 

Pease, ,  17. 

Peirce,  Gen.  R   A.,  220. 

Pensions,  252. 

Perkins,  Ezra,  286. 

Perkins,  William  E.,  280. 

Personnel,  255. 

[>etherick  or  Pedrick,  Captain,  184. 

ettigrew,  General,  65. 
3icket  Duty  of  B.  &  F.,  197. 
3ickman,  Ensign,  7. 
3ierce,  Henry  T.,  116. 
'limpton,  Merrill  F.,  277. 
'lymouth,  first   visit  to,    127;    report   of 

expedition,  154. 
'olice  Guard,  77. 
'ollitz,  John  C.,  242. 
'ond,  Albert  C.,  115. 
'oole,  Francis  H,,  288. 
ope,  George,  281. 
3ortraits,  99. 

"'osition  of  companies,  72. 
Bowers,  Stephen  A.,  178,  286. 
Vatt,  George  H,  289. 
Vescott,  Miss  Louisa,  236. 
Driest,  John  D.,  286. 
Prisoners,  list  of,  247. 


INDEX. 


363 


Proctor,  George,  273. 
Promotions,  72. 
Provost,  205. 
Purbeck,  Marcellus,  289. 
Putnam,  Capt.  John  C.,  13. 


RAIL-FENCES,  120. 

"  Railroad  Monitor,"  200. 

Rainbow  Bluff,  121. 

Rand.  Edwin  R.,  83. 

Rations,  74. 

Rawlc's  Mills,  109. 

Raymond,  Walter  L.,  266,  286. 

Read,  Gardner,  &  Co.,  38. 

Read,  Henry  F.,  272. 

Readville,  camp  at,  21  ;  departure  from, 

41. 

Reception  in  Boston,  217. 
Reconnoissance    Companies   A.   and    G , 

165. 

Regimental  Fund,  38. 
Rennard,  George  W.,  287. 
Resignations,  72. 
Revere,  Maj.  Paul  J.,  16. 
Review  at  New  Berne,  106. 
Reynolds,  Frank  W.,  28,  72. 
Rhoades,  Charles  J.,  290. 
Rhoades,  Lawrence,  289. 
Richards,  Reuben,  Jr.,  2. 
Richardson,  James  M.,  84,  124,  167,  271. 
Richardson,  Jeffrey,  5. 
Richardson,  Spencer  W.,  28. 
Richmond,  William  T.,  2/3. 
Robbins,  James  A.,  287. 
Roberts,  Charles  E.,  116. 
Rodman's  Point,  168,  245. 
Rogers,  Gorham,  38. 
Rogers,  Lysander  W.,  84. 
Rollins,  Charles  E.,  115,  231,  259. 
Roster,  301. 
Rumors,  97. 
Russel,  Cabot  J.,  263,  281. 


SAFFORD,  DEFOREST,  106. 
Salignac  Drill  Corps,  17. 
Sargent,  W.  P.,  38. 
Sawyer,  Lyman  J.,  286. 
Sawyer,  Willard  G.,  287. 
Sayer,  Frederick,  32,  105. 
Scouting,  198. 
Scudder,  Elisha  G.,  85. 
"  Seed-Cakes,"  96. 
Sewell,  Thomas  R.,  3. 
Shackford,  Silas  T.,  84. 
Shaw,  Col.  Robert  G.,  16. 
Sick  Reports,  252. 


Simonds,  Joseph  W.,  271. 

Simpkins,  William  H.,  264,  281. 

Simpson,  Daniel,  3,  28. 

Sisson,  Col.  Henry  T.,  181. 

Skinner,  F.,  &  Co.,  38. 

Smallidge,  William  A.,  115. 

Smith,  Frederick  W.,  Jr.,  115. 

Smith,  Gen.  G.  W.,  141. 

Smith,  "  Si,"  3. 

Smith,  William  V.,  288. 

Soldier's  Aid  Society,  236. 

Song-Book,  Regimental,  28. 

Soule,  Charles  C.,  72,  272,  284. 

Southwest  Creek,  136. 

Spinola,  General,  174. 

Staff  of  General  Foster,  59;  General  Wes- 

sells,  62  ;  surgical,  234. 
Statistics,  255,  270. 
Stealing  whiskey,  49. 
Stebbins,  Asa  D  ,  28,  117. 
Stebbins,  Horace  S.,  28,  73. 

Steffen, ,  17,  36. 

Stevens,  Edward  L.,  265,  277. 

Stevenson,  Mrs.  J.  Thomas,  13. 

Stevenson,  Thomas  G.,  14,  16,  17,  63,  70. 

Storrow,  Samuel,  265,  288. 

Stove-Pipe  Battery,  192. 

Streeter,  Miss  Carrie  B.,  236. 

Streeter,  Miss  Julia,  236. 

Sturtevant,  Charles  W.,  271. 

Subsequent  Service,  269. 

Sullivan,  George,  i,  2. 

Sullivan,  Henry  D.,  28. 

Sumner,  Clarence,  28. 

Surgeon's  Call,  76,  234. 

Surgical  and  Medical,  233. 

Swett,  Samuel,  i,  2,  6,  16. 


TACKNEY,  JOHN,  192. 
Tarboro',  109. 
Taylor,  Theodore  E,  73. 
Taylor,  William  A.,  289. 
Teague,  Frank  W.,  272. 
Tenth  Connecticut,  70,  138. 
Tewksbury,  George  H.,  284. 
Thanksgiving,  83. 
Tibbetts,  J.  R.,  38. 
Tidd,  Charles  R.,  2,  7. 
Tilden,  Joseph,  289. 
Tisdale,  Barney,  3. 
Townsend,  Albert  W.,  266,  286. 
Trescott,  Edward  R.,  273. 
Trip'p,  George  L.,  28,  275. 
Trout,  Thomas  K.,  290. 
Tucker,  Charles  E.,  116,  277. 
Tuttle,  Horace  P.,  275. 
Tweed,  William  H.,  284. 


364 


INDEX. 


Twenty-fourth  Massachusetts,  17. 
Tyler,  Herbert,  289. 

UNIVERSALIST  SOCIETY,  FIFTH,  236. 

VINE  SWAMP  ROAD,  135. 
Vose,  Clifton  H.,  266,  275. 
Voyage  to  New  Berne,  41. 
Voyage  Home,  216. 

WALCOTT,  GEORGE  P.,  277. 

Walker,  E.  Clifford,  273. 

Wallace,  Edwin  A.,  277. 

Ward,  Richard,  2,  7. 

Ward,  William,  I. 

Ware,  Dr.  Robert,  72,  177,  234,  236,  245. 

Warren,  Joshua  B.,  276. 

Warren  Street  Society,  236. 

Washington,    description    of,     110,    162: 

force  and  garrison,  163. 
Waterman,  Rodolph  C-,  30. 
Weeks,  George  M.,  288. 
Weld,  George  M.,  284. 
Weld,  Richard  H.,  72. 
Welles,  General,  3. 
Wentworth,  George  A.,  290. 
\Vessells,  Gen.  Henry  W.,  62. 


West,  Joseph,  Jr.,  3. 
Weston,  George,  284. 

Whall, ,  217. 

Wheeler,  Charles  E.,  82,  104. 
Wheelock,  Merrill  G.,  82. 
Wheelwright,  George  W.,  Jr.,  ; 
Whipple,  Alonzo  L.,  272. 
White,  Benjamin  F.,  3. 
White,  Charles,  28. 
White,  Edward  P.,  278. 
White,  James  C.,  286. 
Whitehall,  140,  145,  225. 
Whitney,  Parker,  14. 
Whitney,  William  L.,  278. 
Whittemore,  Curtis  H.,  273. 
Widow  Blount,  192. 
Wilkins,  Joseph  F.,  86. 
Wilkinson,  Stetson,  &  Co.,  38. 
Willard,  Edward  A.,  273. 
Williams,  Robert  P.,  2. 
Williamstown,  119,  126. 
Willis,  Massa,  2. 
"  Women  and  Children  "  order, 
Wood,  Charles,  266,  286. 
Woodward,  George  M.,  285. 
Worthley,  James,  278. 
Wounded,  list  of,  247. 
Wyeth,  John  J.,  81,  100. 


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